Newsletter

Newsletter May 2023

School Tours

Our school tours are back. Dates are below. Class Teachers have sent out details, times and consent forms to their classes. Please ensure you have signed and returned these along with payment asap.

Class Details Date

Junior & Senior Infants/1st Red Mountain Donore 15^th June

2^nd /3^rd Tallaght Astro Turf 25^th May

4^th /5^th Causey Farm 23^rd may

6^th Surfdock 2^nd June

& Emerald Park 22^nd June

Cricket

Cricket has resumed for 3rd and 4th class with a combination of coaching in school and in Castleknock College grounds. We are delighted to have Brian, from Cricket Leinster, back with us. We also have some afterschool cricket on Monday afternoon.

Sports Day

The Annual Sports Day will take place on Tuesday 6^th June in Castleknock College Grounds commencing at 10am. Full details will be circulated separately. We look forward to a fun-filled day and hope for dry weather!

Reports

School reports will be posted home in June. Each individual pupil should bring a large A4 size stamped self-addressed envelope size approximately 33cm x 22cm (unfortunately we cannot share envelopes for families). Please send SAE in to each class teacher on/before Friday 2^nd June.

School Food Fair/Fun Day

Our school Food Fair and Fun Day will take place on Wed 21^st June. This is a fun day for all pupils and family and friends are also cordially invited. The PA will be on hand with tea and coffee and there will be food from different countries and games/activities in the yard from 10am. Further details closer to the date.

Footwear in the Yard

Please can all students wear suitable shoes to school. Please be aware of the dangers of wearing loose fitting or open toe sandals. We hope to be out as much as possible if weather is fine.

New Infants

We look forward to welcoming the Parents of our incoming infant class (Sep 2023) on Wed 7^th June. We hope to have our new infants in to visit CNS and see their classroom and meet their Teacher and new friends on Thursday 8^th June.

School Disco

Our annual School Disco for pupils from 4^th-6^th class will be hosted by the PA in CNS on Friday 16^th June.

6^th Class Graduation

Graduation will take place on Tuesday 27^th June. Details will be sent out to 6^th Class parents closer to the date.

DIY SOS

We hope to have a good response to the Board of Management and P.A.’s request for DIY SOS day on Saturday10th June. There are plenty of jobs which need to be done and all the help, skilled and unskilled is very welcome. It was a very productive day last year so it is back by popular demand. Further details to follow.

School Photographs

Class Group Photos for all classes, have been taken over the past 2 weeks and will shortly be available to order. A separate form will be sent home in due course.

Friendship Week

As part of this week’s ‘Friendship Week’ we are hoping to support the valuable work done by Childline. On Friday we will take part in a ‘lap and chat’. Pupils will be paired up to take ‘a lap’ around the school ‘and chat’ with their friend about any worries that may be on their mind. Sometimes sharing your worries and chatting with a friend can make us feel better. We are asking pupils to support Childline by bringing in a small donation (€2) on Friday.

End of Year Service

We hope to hold our End of Year Service and Presentation of Awards on 23^rd June 12pm.

Trophies/Cups

We present trophies and cups at our end of year service. If you have these at home please can you arrange to have them engraved with your child’s name and returned to the office (ideally polished) by Friday 2^nd June.

New School Book System

We are hoping with the help of Department funding to provide free books & workbooks to all pupils from now on. We propose keeping all text books currently in use and re-using them next year. This way we would only need to purchase full sets of new books for infants and the workbooks/textbooks which cannot be recycled. If you have a prior arrangement of passing books on to a particular pupil, please let us know and we can ensure that this arrangement is sustained.

If you do not wish to allow your books to be re-used and recycled please notify us by Friday 19^th May and we will make arrangements to return them to you at the end of June. Otherwise we will assume that we have your permission to re-use them for another pupil.

If you have any old textbooks which can be reused from other years, please send them into the school office where they can hopefully be recycled. The current booklists for each class are on the school website if you wish to check if they are still being used.

300 Year Day of Celebration for Pupils 28^th June

Parents and Friends are celebrating 300 Years of CNS on Fri 26^th May. We propose to hold a day of celebration for all of our pupils on Wed 28^th June. Full details to follow shortly.

Dates for your Diary

26^th May – CNS 300 Celebration Evening

29^th May- Accord visit to 5^th and 6^th Class

6^th June – Sports day Castleknock College, 10am

7^th June – New Parent’s Evening 7pm

8^th June – New Junior Infants Visit to CNS 1.15pm

10^th June – DIY SOS Day

21^st June 10am –Food Fair and Fun Day

23^rd June End of year service

16^th June– School Disco 4^th-6th

27^st June- 6^th Class graduation

28th June – School 300 Year Day of Celebration. School closed for Summer Holidays 11.30am

Kind regards

________________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

February 2023

Newsletter

The Hub

Our ‘Hub’ is now in use. We are delighted that we have our ipads and some laptops kindly donated by the Downes Family in use. This means we can enjoy working on our technology together in a new and comfortable space. We were lucky to have past pupils Thomas, Sadhbh, Sophia and Alannah with us on work experience before midterm and they have catalogued and arranged our books in alphabetical order on our new shelves. We hope that all our classes will be able to celebrate ‘World Book Day’ with a visit to our own library this year.

Projects

February is project month. From 3^rd-6^th Class, pupils are working on their own individual projects. We look forward to seeing their great work in March. 1^st and 2^nd Classes are will complete projects with their class teachers at a later date.

Voluntary Contributions

Thanks to all who have paid their Voluntary Contribution. We have now received approximately 40% of donations. We really appreciate it as despite Department of Education funding, in the current climate we are finding it difficult to make ends meet and appreciate these contributions from those who can afford to make them.

Students

We are delighted to have had a number of TY students with us over the last few weeks. These are past pupils who have come back to give a hand and we are always happy to see them and hear how they are getting on. We also have a number of Student Teachers joining us on placement. They are working in classes under the supervision of their class teachers. We are happy to support them in their training and know that our pupils will enjoy their time with us.

Spanish Lessons

Spanish lessons will return in term 3 for pupils from 3^rd-6^th Class. We were delighted to once again to receive funding for this.

Junior Entrepreneur

6^th Class are making customised items including bags and keyrings. Thanks to all who have supported them in their ‘Business’.

Building Works

The work on the site to the rear of the school has commenced. There will be a lot of construction traffic up and down along our boundary wall over the next few months. It is expected that hoarding will be erected on the far side of our fence while the work is in progress. Please be mindful as you walk to and from the school that there may be vehicles coming in and out of the road.

Seachtain na Gaeilge

This takes place from 1^st-17^th March. We are looking forward to all sorts of fun activities – Ceili’s, Ceolchoirm (Concert), Stories, Scriobh Leabhar (Write a book), Games and Lá Glás (Green Day) etc. Photos will appear on our website. If you wish for your child to take part in the ceolchoirm as a solo act, please email Mrs McMurdock through the office or directly amcmurdock@castleknocknationalschool.ie.

‘Ireland Reads’ Day

Saturday 24^th February is ‘Ireland Reads’ Day. Lots of activities are being promoted in our local Library. Thank you to a number of pupils who have donated books to our new library. If you would like to donate a new of ‘pre-loved’ book we would be delighted to accept.

World Book Day

World book day takes place on 2^nd March. Vouchers will be going home and we encourage pupils to buy and/or read a book!

Pancake Tuesday

A big ‘Thank You’ to the PA for our delicious pancakes for all on pancake Tuesday.

Table Quiz & Art Raffle

Congratulations to the PA also for a very successful Table Quiz on Wed 8^th Feb in Myo’s pub and thanks to all parents who supported the event and the quiz on the night as well as the recent Art raffle, where funds were raised for the PA.

Dates for your Diary.

Language Training Day -School will be closed next Monday 27^th February for staff training.

St Patrick’s Weekend – School will be closed on Thurs16^th-Fri 17^th March.

Easter Holidays – Mon 3rd April – Fri 14^th Apr inclusive.

Kind regards

Sandra Moloney

Principal

December 2022

UPCOMING EVENTS

Cycling

6^th Class are undergoing cycle training at present. Please remind your children about the need to take great care when cycling on the road or the narrow pavement outside the school. Watch out for elderly pedestrians or buggies etc. Many thanks to The Cycling Safety School who are teaching Cycle Safety Skills to 6^th Class this term.

Capuchin Friary– Christmas Care Packages & Art Raffle for the Homeless

Last year we collected over 70 Christmas care packages for the homeless and we hope to exceed this target in December. Elaine Watters (in the office) is donating one of her original framed paintings for a raffle to raise funds for The Capuchin Friary homeless charity. We will forward details shortly on the above.

Annual School Carol Service – Sunday 11^th December at 11.30am

We look forward to seeing everyone back together for the Annual Carol Service on Sunday 11^th Dec at 11.30am (please be seated by 11.15am). If you cannot attend please send a message to the office.

Kids Marathon

5^th and 6^th Class will complete their 8 weeks programme for Kid’s marathon and medals will be awarded next week.

Christmas Jumper Day

We would like to invite pupils to wear Christmas Jumpers to school on Friday 9^th December. This was great fun last year and helped us all get into the Christmas spirit!

Black Santa

Once more 6^thClass pupils will travel into St Ann’s Church Dawson Street to sing Carols and raise funds for this appeal which supports many charities for the homeless and others in need at this time of year. We will be putting on our Christmas hats and singing to bring good cheer. Many thanks to Elaine and to Louise McDonagh who have helped with our practice for this event.

Futzal

Fourth class are participating in this football training this term.

Olympic Handball

3^rd Class have been learning Olympic Handball and are taking part in a blitz in Swords on 13^th December. Thank you to those who have already offered lifts and we could do with a few more offers please.

Glenveagh Homes H&S Talk

A Health and Safety workshop for 4^th & 5^th Class will be given by a representative of Glenveagh Homes this week.

Other announcements

The Hub

We are very excited to announce that work will start next week to reconfigure our computer room in to what will be known as ‘The Hub’. This will be a library/tech multi-purpose space. Look out for further details in the weeks to come.

Voluntary Contribution

The Board of Management will be in contact after Christmas regarding the Voluntary Contribution payment. Please note that we are in the process of changing our bank account from Ulster Bank to AIB. We will notify you of our new Bank Details shortly.

Parent Teacher Meetings

We would like to thank parents for attending the recent PT meetings via Microsoft Teams. They mostly ran on time and in many cases both parents were able to attend.

Car Parking

May I remind all parents that car parking is not permitted in the car park in front of

the school at any time. This is reserved for staff only. There is ample car

parking available to the rear at St. Brigid’s N.S. Please be respectful of our neighbours when on St Brigid’s Property.

Coats

Please remind all pupils to bring coats to school during this spell of very cold weather. It is very cold indoors with windows and doors open so extra layers are required. I would ask that ‘shorts’ are put aside until warmer weather returns! Please make sure coats and jackets are clearly labelled.

Parents Association

Many thanks to our hard-working Parents Association. They have arranged a lot of fun treats and experiences for all our pupils – we appreciate all of their hard work.

Santa & School Closure

We look forward to our annual visit from Santa on Wednesday 21st December. School will close on that day at 11.30am and re-open on Thursday 5^th January. May I thank all the staff for all their hard work and dedication to CNS.

I would like to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

Kind regards

_______________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

OCTOBER 2022 NEWSLETTER

October is a very busy month in CNS!

Tree Day Well done to 3rd Class who visited the Phoenix Park on the 6th Oct to celebrate National Tree Day with Éanna Ní Lamhna and representatives from The Tree Council. The event was filmed

and featured in RTE News 2Day TV programme where 3^rd class proved to be very knowledgeable. We had a great outing and it was wonderful to head off on a bus again.

Goal Jersey Day will take place on Friday 14^th October. Please contribute €2 per pupil for our Goal Collection. Teachers will collect this on Jersey Day. Please wear your jersey or your jumper from an organisation you belong to (e.g. girls/boys brigade/brownies/cubs etc).Thank you for your support.

Kids Marathon 5^th and 6^th Class are training for Marathon. They are covering the distance of a marathon by running laps of the yard over a period of weeks.

Cricket 5^th and 6^th class will be starting cricket training with Brian O’Rourke on Monday 17^th Oct which will run until December.

Olympic Handball – 3^rd Class will be taking part in a free 6 week course on Olympic Handball. This programme will be delivered by qualified Olympic Handball teachers and there will be a blitz arranged on 13^th December with other schools.

3D Printing event – Blanchardstown Library has invited 6^th Class to take part in a workshop ‘Introduction to 3D Printing’ on Tue 25^th Oct. This will be held in Blanchardstown Library,

Debating – 6^th Class are practicing their debating skills and will be taking part in an interschool debating competition shortly. We look forward to hearing about their progress.

Junior Enterprise Programme – 6^th Class are registered to take part in the this programme. They are working on ideas to set up their own businesses. More details to follow shortly.

Upcoming Events

Manners Week

We have decided to have ‘Manners Week’ from 10^th-14^th Oct. We will be hoping to hear a lot of ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ around the building!

School Service

Some of 6^th class will represent CNS at the annual Diocesan Schools Service in Christchurch on Thursday 20^th October. This is a lovely event and a chance to see pupils from schools across the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough.

Halloween The Parents Association will be providing treats and for our Halloween Fancy Dress Competition on Friday 28^th Oct. All pupils are asked to dress up. No scary costumes please!

‘Hope’ Shoeboxes We will fill shoeboxes for distribution to children in need across the world. This is a very worthwhile initiative. Our assembly on Friday will focus on this initiative, Details will be sent home before mid-term break. The date to return these boxes is Friday 6^th November.

Cycle Safety An 8 week cycle safety course will commence shortly for 6^th Class pupils. This is a very worthwhile safety skill to learn and we are delighted to offer it.

Other Business

Illness in School

As we are all working very hard to keep illness out of the school, please do not send your child to school if they have any of the following symptoms

*A temperature of 38 degrees or higher

*A sore throat

*A cough

*A tummy bug (vomiting or diarrhoea) in the past 48 hours

If your child becomes unwell during school hours we will ask you to take them home promptly.

We thank you for your co-operation in this matter. Chickenpox is also circulating in the school so please be mindful of that.

Pencil Case

Please check your child’s pencil case regularly. All pupils need to have their own pencils, rulers, colours etc and label them if possible for ease of return.

Head Lice

This is a recurring problem at present. Please could all parents check their children’s hair regularly and treat accordingly. These pests require everyone to be vigilant.

Book Rental and Stationary:

Thank you to everyone who has paid their Book Rental and Stationary money already. May I remind any parents who have not paid their Fees (Juniors/Seniors €70 and 1^st-6^th €75) to do so as soon as possible. If you are unsure if you have yet paid please email Elaine in the office to confirm payment.

GDPR forms:

If you have not already returned your GDPR and General Permission form to the office please do so as soon as possible as it is essential that we have this for every pupil.

Behaviour & Supervision

Please remind all pupils that climbing on fences/gates & cycle racks is strictly forbidden. Please be respectful of St Brigid’s school and do not enter their yard or ours before 2pm at pick-up time. Good manners and behaviour are expected from all pupils at all times!

Coats

May I remind all pupils to wear/bring coats to school as the weather is turning colder and please make sure they are clearly named. Please do not send your child to school wearing shorts after Midterm as the classrooms are well ventilated with doors and windows regularly opened to circulate fresh air.

Water Bottles

All pupils, particularly those in senior classes, should have a refillable water bottle in school. We cannot keep up with the current demand for bottles of water.

‘See Saw’ and ‘Dabble Doo’

The charge per pupil for Seesaw has more than doubled this year. We have not renewed our subscription as it runs for another month. We plan to only pay for See Saw for the classes that need it. Whilst school is open many parents are finding email is sufficient. We have signed up for a programme called ‘Dabble Doo’ this year. It is a combined music and drama programme which is run at every class level across the school at a small cost. Feedback from other schools and from our staff who trialled it last year has been very positive. We will review seesaw as necessary during the year.

Important Dates for your diary

Mid Term Break! School will be closed from Friday 28^th October at normal closure times and will re-open on Monday 7^th November.

Parent/Teacher Meetings for Senior Infants to Sixth Class will take place on Microsoft Teams on 29^th and 30th November. Details to follow.

Carol Service

We will be holding our annual Carol Service on Sunday 11^th December.

Kind regards

Sandra Moloney

Principal

Newsletter June 2022

Dear Parents,

As we come to the end of a very busy school year, may I thank you all, pupils and parents for your ongoing enthusiasm and support and wish you all the best for a wonderful summer break.

When we returned to CNS after the summer we were not sure what to expect! After the previous two years and all the closures, we were hoping to make it through the year. Despite the challenges and the discomfort of mask wearing for both pupils and staff, everyone remained positive. We were all back and although there were children in and out we made it to the end of the year without any unplanned closures. My thanks to the staff who kept the Seesaw up and running so that although some children missed some time through illness or self-isolation, with parental support, they managed to, more or less, keep up with their class. Where pupils missed topics or themes we put in extra support for those children. We recognise that with the challenges created by the pandemic there were children who needed to access bursts of support who would otherwise not have needed to do so.

There was a huge amount of traffic on our school website as the teachers posted weekly updates on what has been going on in their classroom on a weekly basis. We have been so busy with all sorts of activities going on in school. We even managed to get out of CNS and have our Annual Sports Day, Graduation, End of Year Service and School Tours.

A big ‘thank you’ also to the Parents Association for all they have done this year. They brought in Woolly Farm as a pre-Christmas treat and organised the much missed Pancake Day. Our Disco was back and the ice-cream van paid a visit. Parent Coffee mornings and New Parent and New Infant Visits returned. We are so appreciative of all the fun the PA bring to CNS.

We held a very successful D.I.Y. S.O.S. Day and our school and playground are looking better than ever! I think everyone has a new appreciation of the work that William has to do to keep CNS in such good order!

As we look forward to the next school year we are planning to create a ‘Hub’. This will be a re-branding and re-arranging of our computer room to create a more multi-purpose space. This will be a library/tech room/chill out space. We are looking forward to this all coming together next term to see this evolve…

Class Teachers for 2021-22 are as follows:

Junior Infants	Ms Hannah McGuckin
Senior Infants	To be confirmed.
1^st Class	Ms Holly Gray
2^nd Class	Ms Ingrid Duncan
3^rd Class	Ms Suzanne O’Brien
4^th Class	To be confirmed.
5^th Class	Ms Kelly Caldbeck
6^th Class	Mrs Aoife McMurdock

Staff changes:

We have been so fortunate to have had such a wonderful and committed staff with us in CNS this year. We thank them all particularly those who were with us in a temporary capacity – Ms Clarke, Ms Kilbride and Mr Whitehead. You have all been absolutely wonderful and have fitted so well into CNS. I would also like to thank the teachers who helped us out this year when substitute teachers were so difficult to find –Ms Hastings and Ms Denner. At this time, there are a few ‘gaps’ in positions for next year. We will be holding interviews over the next couple of weeks. As soon as I can provide clarity around teachers for next term I will do so via email.

Mrs McMurdock will continue to co-ordinate support next year and Ms Furney, Ms Leopold and Ms Deane will be the support team. They will be on hand to support any pupils who need a little extra help.

Ida, Maria, Catherine and Joanne will be with us helping and supporting staff and pupils around the school. Elaine will be back in her office keeping everyone organised. William will be busy keeping the school building and grounds in shape. My thanks, as ever, to both Elaine and William who have been working hard all year and who will be busy over the summer as we prepare to re-open on 30^th August.

We are delighted that our new rector Rev Colin McConaghie was appointed in time to host our usual ‘End of Year Service’. We have been keeping him very busy around the school since he joined the parish.

The link to the stream is below. This stream will not appear on the Parish’s YouTube channel or in YouTube searches so only those with the link will have access to the live stream during or afterwards to watch back.

We wish all of our students and their families all the best for a wonderful summer break.

We wish our current 6^th Class well as they move on to secondary school and we look forward to welcoming our pupils, old and new, to CNS on 30^th August.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday!

Have a wonderful summer.

Stay safe and well,

Kind regards,

Sandra Moloney.

Principal

Newsletter May 2022

We are all delighted to be able to host many of our usual Summer term activities. So happy to be back to normal!

School Tours

Our school tours are back. Dates are below. Class Teachers have sent out details, times and consent forms to their classes. Please ensure you have signed and returned these asap.

Class Date

Junior & Senior Infants/1st Newbridge Farm 3^rd June

2^nd /3^rd Red Hills 9^th June

4^th /5^th Clara Lara 31^st May

6^th Surfdock on 27^th May

& Tayto Park 13^th June

Other Outings

6^th Class are also going to Tayto Park on 13^th June with funding from their very successful Junior Entrepreneur Project. They will attend an awards ceremony via Zoom on the 14^th June.

1^st Class are going to attend the ‘Agri-Aware’ farm at Bloom on 2^nd June.

Cricket

Cricket has resumed for 5^th and 6^th class with a combination of coaching in school and in Castleknock College grounds. We are delighted to have Brian, from Cricket Leinster, back with us.

Sports Day

The Annual Sports Day will take place on Tuesday 7^th June in Castleknock College Grounds commencing at 10am. Details have been circulated separately. We look forward to a fun-filled day and hope for dry weather!

Jack Chambers Visit

Jack Chambers, Minister for Sport will visit the school on Mon 23^rd May and will speak to 6^th Class.

Reports

School reports will be posted home in June. All pupils should bring a large A4 size stamped self-addressed envelope (for each individual child) to their teacher on/before Friday 10^th June.

Book rental and Voluntary Contributions

There are still outstanding Book Rental and Voluntary Contributions. We are still accepting payment for this academic year so if you need to check if you have paid, please contact the office. We attach the details for each payment for your information.

School Food Fair/Fun Day

Our school Food Fair and Fun Day will take place on Thursday 16^th June. This is a fun day for all pupils and family and friends are also cordially invited. The PA will be on hand with tea and coffee and there will be food from different countries and games/activities in the yard from 10am. Further details closer to the date.

Footwear in the Yard

Please can all students wear suitable shoes to school. Please be aware of the dangers of wearing loose fitting or open toe sandals. We hope to be out as much as possible if weather is fine.

New Infants

We look forward to welcoming the Parents of our incoming infant class (Sep 2022) on Thursday 9^th June. We hope to have our new infants in to visit CNS and see their classroom and meet their Teacher and new friends on Friday 10^th June.

School Disco

Our annual School Disco for pupils from 4^th-6^th class will be hosted by the PA in CNS on Friday 17^th June.

6^th Class Graduation

Graduation will take place on Thursday 21^st June. Details will be sent out to 6^th Class parents closer to the date.

DIY SOS

We hope to have a good response to the Board of Management’s request for DIY SOS. There are plenty of jobs which need to be done and all the help, skilled and unskilled is very welcome. Further details to follow.

School Photographs

Class Group Photos for all classes, have been taken over the past 2 weeks and will shortly be available to order. A separate form will be sent home in due course.

End of Year Service

We hope to hold our End of Year Service and Presentation of Awards on Thurs 23^rd June 12pm. This will be confirmed when the new Rector has been consulted. We welcome Rev Colin McConaghie to the Parish and look forward to welcoming him to CNS.

Trophies/Cups

We present trophies and cups at our end of year service. If you have these at home please can you arrange to have them engraved with your child’s name and returned to the office as soon as possible.

Dates for your Diary

7^th June 10am – Sports day Castleknock College

9^th June – New Parent’s Evening

10^th June – New Junior Infants Visit to CNS

16^th June 10am –Food Fair and Fun Day

17^th June– School Disco 4^th-6th

18^th June – DIY SOS Day

21^st June- 6^th Class graduation

23^rd June- End of Year Service

24th June – School closed for Summer Holidays

Kind regards

________________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

Easter Newsletter.

It is almost the end of our Spring Term and we are looking forward to our Easter Holidays! School closes at 11.30am on Friday, 8^th April and re-opens on Monday 25^th April.

Parent’s Association Many thanks to our wonderful PA who hosted a Coffee Morning on Monday for the Junior and Senior Infant parents. It was lovely to see people back together, in person, in the Parish Centre. The PA have also organised a wonderful Easter raffle and we look forward to handing over the prizes at assembly on Friday morning.

Welcome. We wish to extend a warm welcome to or new pupils, Nika, Anastasia, Andrey, Sofia, Ostap, Marta and Taras who have joined us from Ukraine. We are delighted to have them with us in CNS and happy to say that all our pupils are going out of their way to welcome and support them.

Tidy Towns. Our local Tidy Towns Committee gave us some native Irish Trees to plant. We planted a few in school and our lucky Senior Infants and 3^rd Class pupils brought trees home to plant in their gardens. William and Senior Infants have also been busy planting wild flower bed in the school.

Student Teachers. We have been very fortunate to have had a number of student teachers with us on placement over the past few weeks. (Including Mr Hayes a past pupil!) It has been lovely to have them with us sharing all their new and exciting ideas!

Inspection. Our own teachers and pupils were in the spotlight last week when our own school inspector from the Department of Education came to carry out an inspection. I am happy to say that she was very impressed with our ‘fabulous children’ and their ‘engaging, well organised and motivating teachers’. Well done everyone!

Sport. Swimming has resumes after Easter thanks to the PA. We have had some rugby coaching, for all classes this term. Ms Gray has organised a fun football tournament for pupils in 4^th – 6^th class over the past week to the delight of all.We hope to have some cricket coaching after the break. Mr Whitehead will be doing some soccer/football coaching after school next term too. Our Annual Sports Day has been booked for Tuesday, 7^th June in Castleknock College grounds.

Book Launch. Congratulations to the pupils who were in Ms Furney’s 4^th/5^th Class last year. They took part in a project involving 10 primary schools across the diocese which explored the link between our churches and our schools. The beautiful book which is a culmination of this work was launched in Christ Church Cathedral last Friday evening. The book is wonderful and a credit to all those involved.

Projects. A very big ‘Well done!’ to all our pupils who produced, yet again, outstanding work in their projects. The skills involved in doing a project are many and we are very proud of you all!

‘Stay Safe’ Teachers will be completing this programme with all classes from Senior Infants to 6^th after Easter. Please make sure you sign and return the accompanying worksheets as they are sent home. It is particularly important that this programme is fully complete with our children after the disruption experienced over the last two years.

Covid Thank you to ALL parents for your cooperation and on-going vigilance. Covid is still circulating widely and we must continue to work together to keep it out of school if at all possible.

Suitable clothing. With the anticipated improvement in weather next term, pupils will be reverting to the wearing of shorts and sandals. May I remind parents that shoes with open toes are not suitable in the school playground. I would also ask that pupils are appropriately dressed and do not come to school in very short shorts or belly tops. (I have also noticed that some pupils are wearing make-up and fake nails. Make-up is not permitted and fake nails are a Health and Safety issue.)

Additional Support. We are hoping to have some additional support teaching in place after Easter. We will, of course, need to give some additional English Language Support to our new pupils and I would like to assure parents that this will not have an impact on the pupils who are already in need of support teaching.

I would like to offer additional support to pupils who do not usually attend learning support classes but who may have missed a topic/topics due to self-isolation or Covid. If you feel your child has such a ‘gap’, could you please let me or the class teacher know? We will try to get some targeted support for them as soon as possible.

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and a lovely break! My thanks as ever, to all the staff for their patience, hard work and support to all!

Kind regards,

Sandra

February 2022

Newsletter

We are all busy in CNS and looking forward to Midterm break and some brighter weather.

Special Olympics

February is Friendship month and 3^rd Class hosted our assembly on Friendship last Friday (4^th February). We learned about kindness and how to be a good friend. We also learned about Special Olympics Ireland and how they work to encourage participation from all whatever their level of ability. We are collecting €2 from pupils this week to send to support this month’s cause.

Projects

February is also project month. 1^st and 2^nd class will be doing project work in school with their teachers. From 3^rd-6^th Class pupils will produce their own individual projects. We look forward to seeing their great work in March.

Voluntary Contributions and Book Rental Fees

There are still a small number of parents who have not paid their Book Rental and Stationary fee (€70 Juniors/Seniors and €60 1^st-6^th). If you omitted this, please pay as soon as possible.

Many thanks to all who have paid their Voluntary Contributions. Despite additional funding from the DES for enhanced cleaning, costs continue to increase. If you are unsure if you have paid please contact the office.

Students

We are delighted to have a number of TY students with us over the next few weeks. These are past pupils who have come back to give a hand and we are always happy to see them and hear how they are getting on. We also have a number of Student Teachers joining us on placement. They will be working in classes under the supervision of their class teachers. We are happy to support them in their training and know that our pupils will enjoy their time with us.

Spanish Lessons

We are so pleased to announce that we will be providing some Spanish lessons for all pupils in 3^rd-6^th Class following Midterm break. Details to follow shortly.

Rugby Coaching

Rugby coaching is taking place for all classes Junior Infants – 6^th Class for the next few weeks. Thanks to Ariel our coach and the IRFU for this.

Junior Entrepreneur

6^th Class are making customised water bottles and keyrings. Watch out for details and order forms which will be sent home shortly.

Dates for your Diary.

School closed for Midterm Break – School closes for midterm break on Friday 18th Feb at normal closing time– re-opening Monday 28^th February.

St Patrick’s Weekend – With the additional ‘bonus’ bank holiday this year, school will be

closed from Wed 16^th – Fri 18^th March inclusive.

Easter Holidays – Mon 11^th April – Fri 22^nd Apr inclusive.

Kind regards

Sandra Moloney

Principal

Newsletter December 2021

UPCOMING EVENTS

Cycling

Team Hope

This year we filled 98 shoe boxes for distribution to needy children in Africa or Eastern Europe. Many thanks to all who contributed shoe boxes for this very worthy cause. Thanks to Joyce Grainger who co-ordinated the collection of the boxes.

Capuchin Friary– Christmas Care Packages & Art Raffle for the Homeless

Last year we collected over 70 Christmas care packages for the homeless and we hope to exceed this target in December. Elaine Watters (in the office) is donating one of her original framed paintings and Phoenix Park framed photographs for a raffle to raise funds for Brother Kevin’s charity. We will forward details shortly on the above.

Annual School Carol Service

We are unable to hold our usual carol service and Christmas plays this year. However we will be presenting a festive treat on video to show everyone what we are up to in school. Details to follow.

Playground Orchestra

We are looking forward to an orchestra visit tomorrow (Thursday 2^nd Dec). All pupils will have the opportunity to enjoy some festive music and entertainment in the playground.

Kids Marathon

5^th and 6^th Class completed their 8 weeks programme for Kid’s marathon and medals were awarded last week.

Christmas Jumper Day

We would like to invite pupils to wear Christmas Jumpers to school on Friday 10^th December. This was great fun last year and helped us all get into the Christmas spirit! We are asking everyone to contribute €2 towards Temple St, Crumlin, Connolly & Tallaght Children’s Hospitals.

Other announcements

MASKS

The latest guidance is for pupils from 3^rd-6^th classes to wear masks in school. Thanks to all Parents who have already begun this! We will be encouraging everyone to participate, as much as possible in our struggle to ‘make it to Christmas’.

Voluntary Contribution

Thanks to the Parents who have paid their Voluntary Contribution (€125 per child/€250 per family). If you would like to check if you have paid please contact Elaine in the office 01-8202611.

BOM

Many thanks to the BOM for the purchase of new interactive screens which have been installed in Junior Classes,

Parent Teacher Meetings

We would like to thank parents for attending the recent PT meetings via Zoom. Whilst the experience was not quite the same as in person, they mostly ran on time and in many cases both parents were able to attend.

Student Teachers

We have been selected to host a Student Teacher on placement in Junior Infants. We are delighted to welcome Niamh Marriott to CNS and we know our pupils enjoy her time with us. Any queries, please speak to Ms McGuckin as she will remain with pupils and have overall responsibility during this time.

Car Parking

May I remind all parents that car parking is not permitted in the car park in front of

the school at any time. This is reserved for staff only. There is ample car

parking available to the rear at St. Brigid’s N.S. Please be respectful of our neighbours when on St Brigid’s Property.

Coats

Parents Association

Many thanks to our hard-working Parents Association. They are in CNS today putting up two new Christmas trees to bring some festive cheer and they have some fun planned for the weeks ahead.

Santa & School Closure

We look forward to our annual visit from Santa on Wednesday 22nd December. School will close on that day at 11.30am and re-open on Thursday 6^th January. May I thank all the staff for all their hard work and dedication to CNS.

I would like to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

Kind regards

_______________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

OCTOBER 2021 NEWSLETTER

We are closing tomorrow for our midterm break and the school will close at the usual times of 1pm and 2pm. We are asking parents to collect and bring home the book boxes over the break. Thankfully the recent outbreak of Covid-19 appears to be an isolated case, however cases in the community are very high and we would prefer to be prepared! All of the boxes could do with a ‘tidy up’ as there may be all sorts of ’treats’ lurking in there.

As we look forward to our mid-term break, we look back over what has been a very busy month!

Tree Day Well done to 3rd Class who had a visit on the 7th^th Oct from Éanna Ní Lamhna and representatives from The Tree Council to celebrate National Tree Day. The event was filmed and featured in RTE News 2Day TV programme where 3^rd class proved to be very knowledgeable.

Goal Jersey Day took place on Friday 8^th October. Thank you for your contribution of €2 for our Goal Collection. We raised €341.60 for Goal. Thank you for your support.

300^th Anniversary

The commemorative photograph funded by the PA is hanging in pride of place in our front hall.

Kids Marathon 5^th and 6^th Class are training for Marathon. They are covering the distance of a marathon by running laps of the yard over a period of weeks.

Canon Paul Retirement

Best wishes to Canon Paul Houston who retired. We dedicated a special assembly to him and presented him with some gifts from the children and BOM. We look forward to hearing about his travels.

Upcoming Events

Halloween The Parents Association will be providing treats and for our Halloween Fancy Dress Competition on Friday 22^nd Oct. All pupils are asked to dress up. No scary costumes please!

Reminder: We are supporting ‘Trick or Treat for Temple St’ tomorrow so please bring in €2 per child to support this worthy cause.

Raffle

Our Halloween raffle takes place during assembly tomorrow. Thanks to the PA for these wonderful presentation baskets. The cost to enter is 1 strip of tickets for €1 or 6 strips of tickets for €5. You can still buy tickets tomorrow!

‘Hope’ Shoeboxes We will fill shoeboxes for distribution to children in need across the world. This is a very worthwhile initiative. Details will be sent home before mid-term break. The date to return these is Friday 5^th November.

Cycle Safety An 8 week cycle safety course will commence for 6^th Class pupils after Midterm.

Other Business

Illness in School

As we are all working very hard to keep illness out of the school, please do not send your child to school if they have any of the following symptoms

*A temperature of 38 degrees or higher

*A sore throat

*A cough

*A tummy bug (vomiting or diarrhoea) in the past 48 hours

If your child becomes unwell during school hours we will ask you to take them home promptly.

We thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Travel over Midterm

We are aware a large number of people will be travelling over midterm. Please be mindful that you may be exposed to Covid-19 and be non-symptomatic and we encourage you to follow www.dfa.ie guidelines on your return.

Head Lice This is a recurring problem at present. Please could all parents check their children’s hair regularly and treat accordingly. These pests require everyone to be vigilant.

Book Rental and Stationary: Thank you to everyone who has paid their Book Rental and Stationary money already. May I remind any parents who have not paid their Fees (Juniors/Seniors €70 and 1^st-6^th €60) to do so as soon as possible. If you are unsure if you have yet paid please email Elaine in the office to confirm payment.

GDPR forms: If you have not already returned your GDPR and General Permission form to the office please do so over midterm break as it is essential that we have this for every pupil.

Behaviour & Supervision Please remind all pupils that climbing on fences/gates & cycle racks is strictly forbidden. Please be respectful of St Brigid’s school and do not enter their yard or ours before 2pm at pick-up time. Good manners and behaviour are expected from all pupils at all times!

Coats May I remind all pupils to wear/bring coats to school as the weather is turning colder and please make sure they are clearly named. Please do not send your child to school wearing shorts as the classrooms are well ventilated with doors and windows open to circulate fresh air.

Important Dates for your diary

Mid Term Break! School will be closed from Friday 22^nd October at normal closure times and will re-open on Monday 1^st November.

Fri 12^th Nov –Early Closure

We are required by the Dept of Education to close early for staff training on the New Language Curriculum. We will be closing at 12pm for all pupils on Fri 12^th Nov.

Parent/Teacher Meetings for Senior Infants to Sixth Class will take place on Zoom in November. Details to follow.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

September 2021

Welcome or welcome back to Castleknock N.S. An especially warm welcome to all new staff and pupils. I hope your association with the school will be a happy one. In addition to 25 new Junior Infants, several other children have joined classes this year.

School Staff

From September 2021, the school staff and classes are as follows:

Principal: Sandra Moloney

Junior Infants: Hannah McGuckin

Senior Infants : Karen Clarke

1^st Class : Holly Gray

2^nd Class: Aaron Whitehead

3^rd Class: Ingrid Duncan

4^th Class: Sharon Leopold

5^th Class: Katharine Deane

6th Class: Aoife McMurdock

(Deputy Prinicipal)

Special Education Teachers:

Emma Furney, Kelly Caldbeck, Sylvia Kilbride

Special Needs Assistants: Ida McIntosh, Maria Matthews, Catherine Traynor, Joanne Jameson.

School Administrator: Elaine Watters

Caretaker: .William Denner

School Hours

School opens for reception of pupils at 8.20 a.m. No Responsibility is accepted for pupils arriving at the school before this time. Classes commence at 8.40 a.m. for all pupils. Classes end at 1.00 p.m. for Infants. Classes end at 2.00 p.m. for 1^st to 6^th classes.

We would appreciate it if adults could continue to wear face coverings on school grounds and remind everyone that there is a one-way system in operation around the building to help us maintain distancing and avoid crowds.

Please collect pupils promptly at the end of the school day. Should you be unavoidably delayed, please phone the school office before 2pm.

St. Brigid’s N.S. have very kindly given us permission to use their car park once more. In the interests of safety gates are to be kept locked. If using this access please remember that gates ore unlocked at

8.20 -8.40 a.m. and 2.00 – 2.10 p.m.

Please pass through their yard quickly and quietly as they may have classes out in their yard.

Remember that riding of scooters or bicycles is not permitted in our playground or St Brigid’s playground. We would ask parents and pupils to dismount at the gate on Health & Safety grounds. Please do not block the pedestrian gate of St Brigid’s school or permit children to play on railings or around St Brigid’s cycle racks.

Absences

Under the Education Act 2000 we have to inform the Dept of Education if your child is absent for 20 days or over in the school year. Please be on time for roll call in the morning and fill out a form if your child is absent (Forms are available on our website or will be issued by the class teacher on their return to school). If your child arrives late (after 8.40am) please fill in the late book in the office.

Contacting Parents

We attach an important GDPR and Permission form for your attention. Please return by Fri 17^th in hard copy format. If your child is unwell at school we will contact you at home or work, so that you may bring your child home or to a doctor. It is vitally important therefore that we have up-to-date contact telephone numbers for parents, relatives or others who may look after your child in your absence. If your child is unwell please do not send him/her to school spreading infection to others. We have to be particularly vigilant at this time due to the risk of Covid-19.

Medicines

If your child suffers from a condition which warrants the dispensing of medicine during school hours – please get and complete an Indemnity Form and advise teacher how to cope with any signs of the illness. Return Form and Medicine to Class Teacher. Children may not have medicines in school bags. Please let us know if your child is allergic to any material or substance. Epipens and Inhalers are kept securely in school. Please ensure full details are provided if your child requires either of these,

Nut Allergies

CNS is a NUT FREE ZONE. A number of pupils suffer from nut allergies. As they can be life threatening, please make sure your child’s lunch is nut-free.

Healthy Lunch Policy

We have a healthy lunch policy and we would appreciate it if could be adhered to by one and all. We hope to try the www.lunchbag.ie this year. Details will be circulated shortly.

Headlice

Headlice make an unwelcome visit to school occasionally. Please notify the school as we can alert parents and hair can be checked and treated if necessary. Those with long hair should be encouraged to tie it up when possible. It is recommended that all children are checked regularly and treated as required.

Code of Behaviour

Remember that good manners and good standards of behaviour are expected from pupils at all times in school.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones are banned in school and on the school bus. This is a directive from the Dept of Education, Board of Management and Bus Eireann. Electronic devices including Ipads, Ipods, Nintendos, Guns and Knives are NOT PERMITTED in school.

Should a child need to make contact with a parent during the school day, a call can be made from the school office. We thank you for your support in this matter.

Lost Property

Lost property is kept in the main hall. Please let us know if your child has misplaced any items.

Reminder re Birthday Celebrations

Please feel free to send in a nut free and individually wrapped birthday treat (tot home baked) for each number of the class on your child’s Birthday if you wish.

Book Rental & Stationary Money

A separate note has been circulated about Book Rental & Stationary money. Thank you to all who have already paid their fee and we would be grateful if any outstanding fees are paid by Friday 17^th Sep.

Kind regards,

_________________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

School Term 2021-22

School re-opens Thursday 26th August

October Mid Term Break: Monday 25th Oct – Friday 29th Oct (inclusive)

Christmas Break: School closes Wednesday 22nd Dec and school re-opens Thursday 6th January

February Mid Term break: Mon 21st Feb – Fri 25th Feb (inclusive)

St Patricks day Thur 17th March and Fri 18th Mar school closed

Easter Break Mon 11th Apr-Fri 22nd April (inclusive)

May Bank Holiday closed Monday 2nd May

June Bank Holiday closed Monday 6th June

School Closes for Summer holidays Friday 24th June

Dear Parents,

As we come to the end of another unusual school year, may I thank you all, pupils and parents for your ongoing enthusiasm and support and wish you all the best for a wonderful summer break. Our extended break after Christmas, due to a surge in Covid 19, meant a return to distance learning and we were all back on ‘Seesaw’. My thanks to the BOM who had ensured that all staff were furnished with new laptops, and so, this time, we were more prepared.

All the staff had upskilled and the online provision, uploaded on Seesaw, was of a very high quality. Support teachers looked after their pupils via Zoom and SNA’s also made contact with their pupils by phone. We uploaded our weekly assembly in an effort to keep everyone connected and Class teachers began class zooms doing everything from ‘Show and Tell’, Quizzes and ‘Tráth na gCeist’. 6th Class even took part in the Junior Achievement Programme – ‘The Power of Design’ via Zoom. Although we coped fairly well, we were all more than delighted to return, with our boxes following the Easter break!

Our school website was upgraded this year and we put it to great use. We were very conscious that parents had to remain outside the building and so we uploaded pictures under each class every week. Although the usual trips and outings were not possible and although visitors were not permitted, we made the most of every opportunity and teachers and pupils were as creative as possible! There certainly seems to have been lots of activity in and around the school! Getting outside the gate to visit the grass area at the rear of St Brigid’s carpark and a walk up the village to see the new sculpture were exciting events! When we went out in our masks to get the photograph taken by the drone, we realised the Junior Infants had never used their internal classroom door!

A big ‘thank you’ also to the Parents Association for all they have done throughout the year. They have been busy and we are all really looking forward to using our new iPads after the summer. They booked an ice-cream van as a treat for the children and they are helping to arrange a special ‘send – off’ for our 6th Class Graduates. We are also looking forward to our 300th Anniversary drone photograph. We are also looking forward to seeing the wonderful ‘virtual tour’ of CNS.

Class Teachers for 2021-22 are as follows:

Junior Infants Ms Hannah McGuckin

Senior Infants To be confirmed.

1st Class Ms Holly Gray

2nd Class To be confirmed

3rd Class Ms Ingrid Duncan

4th Class Ms Sharon Leopold

5th Class Ms Katharine Deane

6th Class Mrs Aoife McMurdock

Staff changes: Our best wishes go to Mr O’Connell who is leaving us for a year.

Ms Culbert is leaving us to work closer to her home and family. Ms McNutt is leaving us to pursue a career in business.

We are so sorry to see them go, they have been wonderful to work with and they will all be missed. We wish them well and look forward to hearing how they are all getting on. We hope that Mr O’Connell will return to us in September 2022.

We have been so fortunate to have had such a wonderful and committed staff with us in CNS this year. We thank them all particularly those who were with us in a temporary capacity – Ms Furney and Ms Caldbeck. You have both been absolutely wonderful and have fitted so well into CNS. I would also like to thank the teachers who helped us out this year when substitute teachers were so difficult to find – Ms Scannell, Ms Kidd, Ms Payne and Ms Hastings. At this time, there are a few ‘gaps’ in positions for next year. We will be holding interviews over the next couple of weeks. As soon as I can provide clarity around teachers for next term I will do so via email.

Mrs McMurdock will continue to co-ordinate support next year and I we will continue to support all those who are receiving support this year.

We will be unable to host our usual ‘End of Year Service’ this year. However we will upload a recorded Assembly/Service to Seesaw and send home the link. We would like to mark 6th Class’s time with us in CNS and wish all of our students and their families all the best for a wonderful summer break.

We were joined by the RTE News2day crew in August 2013 when the current 6th Class started school – they will return on 25th June to capture them as they leave. No doubt it will air that afternoon for those who would like to see 6th Class as they were then and as they are now – years have flown and how they have grown! We will be hosting a short Graduation Evening, socially distanced and by invitation only on Wednesday, 23rd June. The PA are helping us by providing some treats. We wish them well as they leave us to start a new chapter in their young lives and hope that they will stay in touch and share their successes with us. We are proud of the young people we have had with us and I would like to commend them for the way they have dealt with the disappointments that this year has meant for them. Many of the outings and events which are eagerly anticipated as part of Rang a sé had to be cancelled. Luckily we managed a fantastic tour – just!

As I write this, we are unsure what position we will be in restriction wise at the end of August. We expect that the rules about face-coverings and social distancing will be in place. We plan to have all 5th and 6th Classes back together and all pupils will return to school, with their book boxes and they will be seated in ‘pods’ in their classrooms. We expect that we will need to continue to keep classes separate in the playground and that they will continue to enter and leave their classrooms through separate entrances as this year. We will be in touch with all families in August to confirm these details and any other changes should they occur. We will also be circulating the ‘Return to School Health Declaration Form’ at the same time.

We wish our current 6th Class well as they move on to secondary school and we look forward to welcoming our pupils, old and new, to CNS on Thursday 26th August.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday!

Have a wonderful summer.

Stay safe and well,

Kind regards,

Sandra Moloney.

Principal

We are now in our Summer Term and delighted to say that all of our pupils are back in CNS.

We continue to wash hands and sanitise at every possible opportunity and to date we remain Covid free.

Please be aware that although the weather is improving, with open doors and windows, classrooms are chilly. We would ask you to dress children appropriately for example a warm hoodie/fleece is still needed most days.

Trophies.

May I remind parents that they need to have trophies and cups engraved and return them to the school office. If you or someone you know has a school trophy or cup at home, could you ensure it is returned to school as soon as possible.

Learning Support

As many of you are aware Mrs McMurdock has not returned to school and she continues to work remotely. We have been fortunate to have Ms Scannell filling in for us on Mondays and Fridays. Ms Scannell is an experienced teacher and she has been helping out with benchmarking pupils and delivering lessons under Mrs McMurdock’s guidance. We plan to have another fully qualified substitute, beginning in May to work with Mrs McMurdock’s groups. She will work under the direction of Mrs McMurdock and follow her plans closely. It will also allow some flexibility to provide cover for meetings and to assist with assessment as needed. I would like to thank Mrs McMurdock for all her work via Zoom – not easy! However it has worked well for her groups as she knows them well and they look forward to seeing her ‘on screen’! Thanks also to our team of SNA’s who have helped facilitate this. All IEPs and Support plans will be reviewed in May. Mrs.McMurdock will be in touch with those parents to organise zoom meetings.

The P.A.

Thank you to our new PA who have organised an ‘Exercycle’ challenge for next week. Pupils have been given sponsor cards and allocated team colours. We would ask for your support with this venture and look forward to cheering or teams on in the yard during active week.

Website

Our school website has been completely overhauled and updated. Many thanks to Mrs McMurdock and her husband for doing this for us. Our old website was struggling to cope with the volume of posts we were uploading. We are updating the website weekly so that parents can check it to see what is happening in each class during the week.

Junior Achievement

Pupils from 1^st -6^th Classes are taking part in this 6 week programme via Zoom. They are learning about design, their community or starting up a business and they are finding it fascinating.

Stay Safe

This programme takes place this term. Please make sure to sign and return the worksheets as they come home. This is a very important personal safety programme and we were unable to complete it last year due to school closure.

Cricket

Sadly we do not know when cricket will return to school. Phoenix Cricket Club have provided details of their upcoming summer camps for all ages in July (see attached flyer for more details).

Voluntary Contributions

Many thanks to all those who have paid their voluntary contribution. It is not too late if you have forgotten to do so!

COVID

To date we remain ‘covid free’. May I thank parents who have kept their children at home when they have complained of feeling unwell, and urge all parents to do the same. Erring on the side of caution has helped limit the spread of all the usual bugs and colds too.

Swift Boxes

We have had swift nesting boxes installed as part of a joint project funded by Fingal County Council and Castleknock Tidy Towns. We are hopeful that some swifts may take up residence in our yard – we will be watching as swifts return to our shores!

Class Photographs

We are hoping that Elaine will be able to take class photographs for Junior Infants, Senior Infants and 6^th Classes, in a ‘Covid safe’ manner over the next few weeks. Details to follow.

Car Parking.

The carpark at the front of the school is strictly for STAFF ONLY. We have had a number of incidences lately where cars are pulling in at the front and reversing out into the road putting children and parents using the footpath at risk. This cannot continue.

Dates for your Diary.

May Bank Holiday – Mon 3^rdand Tue 4th May school closed.

Kind regards

________________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

Newsletter December 2020

Autumn Reports

Parent teacher meetings will not take place this term. However, we are aware that parents are anxious to know how pupils are getting on this year. The staff have written ‘Autumn Reports’ for all our pupils. These include details you would traditionally have received at our Parent Teacher meetings in November. Each child will bring home their school report on Monday 30^th November.

Team Hope

Our thanks to Joyce Grainger who visited the school via Zoom to explain how to take part in Team Hope’s Christmas Shoebox appeal. If anyone would like to participate the details are available online and a virtual box can be sent this year (www.teamhope.ie)

Christmas 2019 Shoe Box Appeal

Voluntary Contributions

Many thanks to parents who have paid their Voluntary Contributions of €125 per pupil (capped at €250 per family). It will be put to good use as the cleaning and heating bills are considerable with Covid-19 regulations. If you would like to check if you have paid please contact Elaine in the office by phone or email.

Goal Jersey Day

Thanks to everyone who supported our Goal Jersey Day recently. We raised €311 euro towards this worthy cause.

Virtual Panto at The Helix – ‘Sword in the Stone’

The PA have kindly agreed to sponsor a virtual trip to The Helix Panto ‘The Sword in the Stone’ which will take place on Friday 18^th December during school hours.

Christmas Jumper Day

This will take place on Friday 11^th December this year in aid of Crumlin Children’s Hospital. We will be joining in the fun here in CNS and contributing €2 each to this worthy cause as we wear our festive woollies to school on that date. Look out for pictures on our website!

PA Activities

Many thanks to the PA who have funded a number of Zoom workshops for our pupils. We hope to host zoom workshops on the subject of ‘Online Safety’ for pupils from 3^rd-6^th Class before Christmas. Our Christmas cards are on their way and will be sent home to everyone who ordered shortly. We would ask that children do not exchange Christmas cards in class this year due to Covid.

The PA have also organised lovely CNS Hoodies for 6^th Class – they all look so smart!

Virtual Santa Claus Visit

The PA are in contact with Santa Claus and plans are underway for his ‘socially distanced’ visit! This year instead of games and toys we will be adopting animals from Dublin Zoo for each class. Thankfully they will only be in CNS via Webcam.

As I write this newsletter I am reminded of all the ‘usual activities’ at this time of year. Sadly so many will not be possible. We will, however, be doing all we can to make this a special Christmas too! No Christmas plays or Carol Service this year, however we will be putting regular updates on the website to mark the occasion.

School Improvements

We have a lovely new sign at our gate and we are hoping to mark our 300^th Anniversary by putting in an ‘Outdoor Classroom’. I have approached the Phoenix Park and they have promised to give us tree stumps to use as seats. Fingal have promised to give us some bark to put down underfoot. Would anyone be able to help out with collecting tree stumps our bark? Would anyone have any contacts who might give help/ advice around removing turf and soil in order to create our new outdoor space? It seems that the school is going back in time with a plan to teach the children outdoors when possible!

Irish Food from A-Z

Congratulations to Dr Vanessa Woods (Aunt of Hugo, Max & George) who launched her book ‘Irish Foods from A-Z’ in CNS last week and it was featured on RTE News2Day. This is linked to the Primary Science Curriculum and will be distributed to all primary schools in Ireland shortly.

Short Story Competition

If anyone has an entry for the short story competition, please email it to amcmurdock@castleknocknationalschool.ie on or before 11^th December.

Thanks to CNS Staff & Parents

My thanks to all the staff and parents for their help & support in keeping the school ‘Covid free!’ We will be sending home ‘Covid-19 Return to School Health Declaration’ forms with all pupils at the break.

Dates for your Diary

Christmas holidays begin on Tuesday 22^nd December at 11.30am and we re-open on Wednesday 6^th January.

May we all stay safe and well and enjoy a wonderful Christmas!

Kind regards

Sandra Moloney

Principal

OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

As we look forward to our mid –term break, we look back over what has been a busy month! We are all experts in cleaning and sanitising. Happily we are all safe and well.

Tree Day Well done to 3rd Class who had a visit from the Tree Council of Ireland on Thursday 1^st Oct with Éanna Ní Lamhna and representatives from RTE News2day. Minister for land use and Biodiversity Pippa Hackett also attended and planted a tree to mark 300 years of CNS. The event was filmed and featured in RTE News at 6.01 News and News 2Day TV programme where 3^rd class proved to be very knowledgeable.

Money Matters: Thank you to everyone who has paid their Book Rental and Stationary money already. May I remind any parents who have not paid their Fees (Junior/Senior infants €70 and 1^st-6^th €60) to do so as soon as possible. Elaine will be issuing receipts shortly to all who have paid. If you are unsure if you have yet paid please contact Elaine in the office to confirm (Tel 01-8202611). It is imperative that fees are paid this year as costs this year are spiralling!

Goal Jersey Day will take place on Wednesday 14^th October. Please contribute €2 for our Goal Collection. There will be a box for coins at the door of each classroom (beside the sanitisers). We would like to support this Charity as they have been badly affected by Covid restrictions.

Community Garda Our Community Garda will visit the school on Monday 12^th Oct. He will speak to 4^th and 4^th/5^th about Halloween and safety.

Supervision Please remind all pupils that climbing on fences/gates & cycle racks is strictly forbidden. Please be respectful of St Brigid’s school and do not enter their yard or ours before1pm and 2pm at pick-up time.

Coats May I remind all pupils to wear/bring coats to school as the weather is quite inclement and please make sure they are clearly named. All pupils will be out in the yard at break if at all possible. We recommend that no shorts are worn by pupils after midterm. Many thanks to Parents for wearing Facemasks and Coverings on the grounds of CNS– it is appreciated!

Halloween

In these uncertain times we are not sure how Halloween will be safely celebrated this year. We cannot host our usual competition and assembly. However we are aware that the children really enjoy the ‘dressing up’. We will have fancy dress on Friday 23^rd Oct as usual. However, this year we will not be allowing any masks or accessories – a costume and face paint is fine. The P.A. will be providing some treats and our thanks, as ever, to them for their support.

Parent/Teacher Meetings

Parent /Teacher meetings cannot take place in the usual way this year. We will be sending out written reports on children’s progress in November.

An Draíocht

This year we will be unable to go out as we usually do so the P.A. are funding some workshops for Junior and Senior Infants via Zoom with artists on 21^st and 22^nd October. We are really looking forward to this.

History

A big thank you to parent Dr Grace O’Keeffe who insisted 4^th and 4^th/5^th Classes to tell them about the history of schools in Ireland, particularly the history of CNS. It was fascinating! Well done to our pupils who wrote a letter a letter of invitation and thanks.

Climate Change

6^th Class will have a virtual workshop on Climate Change on Tuesday 20^th October. We are looking forward to this.

Virtual Tour of Dublin Zoo

1^st and 2^nd Class will take part in a Virtual tour of Dublin Zoo in class on Wed 11^th November.

IMPORTANT DATES

Mid Term Break! School will be closed from Friday 23^rd October at normal closure times and will re-open on Monday 2^nd November. Buses will run as normal on that day.

Stay safe and well!!!

Newsletter Nov/Dec 2019

Student Teachers

We have been selected to host Student Teachers on placement in Junior Infants and 1^st Class. We are delighted to welcome them to CNS and we know our pupils will enjoy their time with us. Any queries, please speak to the class teacher as they remain with pupils and have overall responsibility during this time.

Retirement & Appointment of Staff Members

Best wishes to Mrs Kelliher and Mrs Reid who retired earlier this term. The BOM hosted a lunch to mark their retirement. Both teachers kindly presented a cup each to the school for presentation at our Annual Awards Ceremony in June. The ‘Reid Cup’ will be presented to the best team overall at Sports Day. The ‘Kelliher Cup for Literacy’ will be presented to the pupil who has worked hard and made great progress. We are delighted to receive these cups and look forward to presenting them in June.

Congratulations to Ms Aoife McMurdock who has been appointed Deputy Principal. I am delighted to have her as part of the Management team and we wish her well in her new role.

Annual School Carol Service

The Carol service takes place in St Brigid’s Church, Castleknock on Sunday 15^th December at 11.30am in St Brigid’s Church. The Parent’s Association will provide refreshments in the Parish Centre following the service. The school carol service will be in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital and St Brigid’s Parish. We are looking forward to a lovely morning and all classes are working hard preparing for it. Our school choir will be performing also. Many thanks to all for their hard work.

Carol Singing

Sixth Class will be singing carols outside St. Anne’s Church, Dawson Street on Thursday 12^th December from 11am-12pm. This annual event raises money with ‘Black Santa’ and supports many local charities.

Drama

Good luck to First, Second and Fourth classes. Their wonderful plays will take place on Tues 17th December beginning at 7.00 p.m. They seem to get better each year. Many thanks to Aoife our Drama Teacher and all the staff for all their hard work.

Team Hope

This year we filled 118 shoe boxes for distribution to needy children in Africa or Eastern Europe. Many thanks to all who contributed shoe boxes for this very worthy cause.

Parent Teacher Meetings

We would like to thank parents for attending the recent PT meetings and for your patience if left waiting after your scheduled time.

Book Rental & Stationary

Thanks to the majority of parents who have paid their Book Rental and Stationary Fee of €60 per pupil (€70 for Junior Infants). All receipts have been given at this stage. If you would like to check if you have paid please contact Elaine in the office 01-8202611.

Sam Maguire

Last month we had yet another visit to CNS by members of the G.A.A. team and the Sam Maguire Cup during assembly.

Hour of Code

2^nd Class pupils will take part in an ‘hour of code’ hosted by DCU students on 26^th November.

Internet Safety Workshops

These will take place for all classes on 6^th December. Many thanks again to parent Jenny O’Connor for doing this.

Goal Workshop

This year 6^th Class participated in a ‘Goal Workshop’ and on ‘Jersey Day’ we raised €358 for Goal. Well done to all our pupils who supported it.

Farmleigh Visit

6^th Class will tour Farmleigh on Wed 27^th Nov. Many thanks to Lorna Leatham for organising this for us.

Car Parking

May I remind all parents that car parking is not permitted in the car park in front of

the school at any time. This is reserved for staff only. There is ample car parking available to the rear at St. Brigid’s N.S. Please be respectful of our neighbours when

on St Brigid’s Property.

Knitting

A big thank you to the team of parents, grandparents and past parents who came to school to help teach knitting. Many thanks to pupils who knit dozens of Christmas decorations which were sold at the Parish Winter Fair.

Marathon

On Wednesday 13^th November, 5^th and 6^th class completed the final mile of their Marathon in Morton Stadium, Santry. They each received a T Shirt and Medal. Well done to all.

European Quiz

Some members of 5^th Class will take place in a ‘Europe Quiz’ in Blanchardstown Library on Wednesday 27^th November. Good luck to them this week!

Illness

If your child is unwell, please keep them at home, particularly if they are vomiting, it is recommended that they remain at home for a minimum of 24 hours generally and 48 hours post-vomiting. Bugs and germs multiply very quickly in warm classrooms and it is difficult to avoid infection or re-infection. Please remember to sign in/out in the office if late and return Absent Forms when returning to school after an absence.

Coats

Please remind all pupils to bring coats to school during this spell of very cold weather. Please make sure they are clearly named.

Cycle Safety

Many thanks to The Cycling Safety School who are teaching Cycle Safety Skills to 6^th Class this term.

Parents Association

Many thanks to our hard-working Parents Association. As part of Science Week, they organised a CSI Forensics workshop for all classes.

The PA also held a Movie Night in the Parish Centre on Saturday 23^rd Nov. This was well supported and greatly enjoyed by all. They are busy planning fund raising activities such Christmas cards. They will be providing refreshments after our plays and our carol service and we appreciate their support. Special thanks to those who are retiring from the P.A. in January. We look forward to their AGM in January. More details to follow.

BOM

Our new Board of Management commences its new term in December. Many thanks to the outgoing Board for all their work on behalf of the CNS. It is very much appreciated.

Christmas Jumper Day

We would like to invite pupils to wear Christmas Jumpers to school on Thursday 19^th December. This was great fun last year and helped us all get into the Christmas spirit! We are not asking for donations at this event this year as we will be sending a donation to Temple St Children’s Hospital following the Carol Service.

Santa & School Closure

We look forward to our annual visit from Santa on Friday 20th December. School will close on that day at 11.30am and re-open on Monday 6^th January. May I thank all the staff for all their hard work and dedication to CNS. I would like to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

Kind regards

_______________

Sandra Moloney

Principal

Newsletter June 2022

Reminder: We are supporting ‘Trick or Treat for Temple St’ tomorrow so please bring in €2 per child to support this worthy cause.

September 2021

School Staff

School Hours

Absences

Contacting Parents

Medicines

Nut Allergies

Healthy Lunch Policy

Headlice

Mobile Phones

Lost Property

Summer Newsletter 2021

Spring Newsletter 2021