12th October 2018
October Newsletter
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Please find below a list of recent and upcoming events.
Maths Inspection: The school was visited by District Inspectors Sinead Ginnane and Christine Casserly recently. The looked at teaching and learning in Maths. They were happy with the overall standard and they made some suggestions for improvement. They will be drafting a report in the coming weeks and we will communicate the details of their findings once we receive the final report. I would like to complement our hard working staff and the children for their diligence throughout the inspection.
Maths Week: Maths week is on from the 15th – 19th October. This is always an enjoyable week for the children where they get the chance to do Maths games, Maths trails, Puzzles and Problem-solving, and use the school’s technology for Maths. As children will not be getting Maths homework, we would ask that you give children the opportunity to use Maths in their environments eg. estimating shopping bills, using measures when cooking, cost of petrol/diesel per litre, identifying shapes and looking at numbers on road signs or in the homes.
Mini-7’s Finals: Congratulations to the boys Mini-7’s hurling team who got through to the finals on Tuesday 16th October in Annaghdown. Their matches will start at 12 p.m. and they are playing Bullaun and Carrabane. We wish them the best of luck. All support would be greatly appreciated. Well done also to our girls’ camogie panel who lost out to eventual winners in their mini-7’s blitz. Thanks to Ms. Hayes for organising the blitz and coaching the girls.
Congratulations: to Ms. Kelly on winning another all-Ireland Golf title with her club Portumna Golf Club recently.
Clothes Collection: There was a great response to this year’s clothes collection, (511 kgs) and we would like to thank all parents who donated bags of clothes.

School Closures:
– Presidential Election: Friday 26th October
– Mid-term Break: Monday 29th – Friday 2nd. School re-opening Monday 5th
November.
– Parent –Teacher Meetings: Tuesday 20th November – children go home at 12.30pm. Could you please indicate a time that would suit in your child’s diary.
– In-school Planning Day: Friday 7th December.
Important Dates:
– First Confessions: Thursday 11th April at 7.30pm
– First Holy Communion: Saturday 25th May at 12.00pm.
– Confirmation: Tuesday 30th April at 3.00pm.
– Graduation Mass: Tuesday 25th June at 12.00pm.
• Showbox Appeal: The leaflets for this year’s Christmas shoebox appeal are attached. The last day for returning the boxes is Friday 9th November.
• School Book Fair: This year’s school Book Fair will take place on the week starting Monday 19th November. Parents will be able to view the books on the day of the Parent-teacher meetings on Tuesday 20th November. As always, a percentage of the money spent can be used by the school to purchase new books for the school library. Thanks to Ms. Keely for organising.
• Bun and Biscuit Day: The children in 3rd & 4th class will host their annual Bun & Biscuit Day on Thursday 25th October. Parents of the children in those classes are invited to come in and sample their recipes.
• S.E.S.E. Trail: The children from 3rd – 6th classes will be going on their termly S.E.S.E. Trail before the mid-term break.
• Friendship Week: Congratulations and well done to the 6th class children for organising a very successful week in September. They introduced a number of new things this year. Congratulations on a job well done.
• Cup Visits in Kilchreest N.S.: All-Ireland minor players, Evan Duggan , Oisín Flannery along with selector and past pupil Kenneth Burke brought the first All-Ireland u-17 trophy to the school. They were joined by past pupil Fintan and David Burke who both captained Galway to u-21 and senior Leinster titles this year. The club has a great record for providing successful captains to Galway teams. Congratulations and thanks for coming to see us.
• Halloween Costumes: The children will be allowed to wear Halloween costumes if they have them on Thursday 25th October.
• Condolences to Ms. Hayes and her family on the recent passing of her grandmother, Chris Cunningham. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm.
• In order to receive text-a-parent messages from the school, please ensure that you have provided the school with your correct mobile number.
If you have any questions in relation to any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above number.

Yours sincerely,

Francis O’Connor
Principal.