June Newsletter

Mondays 9th, 16th, 23rd June: Swimming lessons continue for Andrea, Roisín and Grace’s classes.Monday 9th – Friday 13th June: Green Week.  Activities include puppet show, fruit kebabs, collection of old mobile phones and ‘Green Schools’ talk (see noticeboards.)Wednesday 11th June: Staff Meeting, all classes finish at 12.30pm.Wednesday 11th June:  Information meeting for families of children joining the school this September, 3pm.  Wednesdays 11th, 18th June: Gaelic football and hurling coaching continues with John and Mick.Friday 20th June: Sports Day.  (Parent volunteers needed to help run the stations: details later.) Sunday 22nd June: PTA Summer Picnic in the grounds of the school, 1-4pm.  (See next week’s PTA newsletter.)  Friday 27th June: End of Term, classes  finish at 12.30pm. Monday 1st September: School reopens  8.50am at new permanent building, Kilnahue Lane, off the Carnew Road, Gorey. Premises Update: The Department of Education has again given assurances that our new building will be ready for September 1st.  (Returning to St Waleran’s, even for a short period, would no longer appear to be an option, as no sanction was given for additional portacabin classrooms.)Please remember that design plans for the new building are on display in the main building, for your perusal.Help wanted:  A team of volunteers will be needed to help with the move!  All of our classroom equipment and most of our furniture will be used in the new building.  Please speak with Raymond before the end of term or please respond to the school’s text message in mid/late August!‘Around the World in 8 Classrooms:’  After a settling-in period, a multicultural theme ‘Around the World in 8 Classrooms’ may be used to help us celebrate the completion of the new building.  Over the summer, please take note of the interesting sights, sounds and tastes you encounter at festivals and events or on your holidays.  We will try to include as many ideas from children, parents and staff as possible!Wellies, slippers, coats, lost and found: Please take some time before the end of term to check the cloakrooms and playground for lost items of clothing.  It will not be possible to store items over the summer months.  (Left items will be sent for recycling.)  Library books, readers, rental books:  Please return these items to the classrooms as soon as possible. Science Award:  Well done to all the children and their teachers on achieving the ‘Discover Primary Science’ Award of Excellence for the second year on a row!  (The Awards Ceremony at Croke Park was on the same date as our trip: the plaque is now ‘in the post!’)Gardening Prize:  Very well done to our young gardeners on winning second place in the ‘4Home Let’s Get Gardening competition.’  The children will be presented with their prize on  Wednesday! Paired Reading:  Many thanks to all the parent and pupil volunteers who helped with the Paired Reading project in Andrea’s classroom.  Each participating child received a Paired Reading Certificate.Race Night:  The PTA Race Night was a huge success!  Special thanks to all the organisers and sellers for their many hours of hard work.  (See next week’s PTA newsletter for details.)  Booklists:  Book/supplies lists for the new school year were sent home with the children last week.  Spares are available from the office.  Payment (or deposit) due before the end of term:  all payments in an envelope, marked clearly with child’s name and amount.  (Exact change only: no cash kept on school premises.)  Thank you.  Reports:  End-of-year reports on the children’s progress will issue next week.  A summer reading calendar will accompany each report – please keep reading together during July and August.Arts Grant:  Following-on from our St Patrick’s Day project, a parent helped the school to prepare a grant application to Wexford County Council.  €400 has just been awarded!  This money will be put towards a   music project in the new school year.  Many thanks.

Playground Games:  Any parent who could paint some hopscotch-type markings on the grass and/or teach the children some hop-scotch or skipping games: please speak with Raymond.