Diary
Monday 24th May – Friday 28th May: Our skipathon: lots of heart-healthy skipping activities this week! Parents – show us some more skipping games. Join your child (1st class or older) on the playground for the 10.30 or 12.30 breaks this Thursday.
Wednesday 26th May, 8pm: Information talk for parents, organised by our PTA. ‘Drugs awareness,’ presented by Community Garda Denis McCarthy. All are welcome. Tea & coffee afterwards. Denis will give advice on what to watch out for in children and young people, and answer your questions.
Thursday 27th May: Bake Sale by sixth class. Also, have your photo taken with some new birds! Chosen charity: Barnardos in Gorey. Could the children bring €1 or €2 to spend at the sale?
Friday 28th May: Trip for Junior Infants to Woodlands Falconry Centre, Tullow, Co. Carlow.
Tuesday 1st June: Trip for 1st and 3rd classes to Woodlands Falconry Centre.
Wednesday 2nd June: Trip for 6th class to Roddy Doyle’s Fighting Words creative writing centre, Dublin 1. Bowling afterwards in Stillorgan.
Thurs 3rd June: Trip for Sen. Inf. to Sea Life Centre, Bray and Zoom Adventure Play, Greystones.
Friday 4th June: School holiday. No classes.
Monday 7th June: Public Holiday, school closed.
Thursday 10th June: Orientation meeting for new families/pupils, 3.15pm.
Wednesday 16th June: Staff Meeting, classes finish at 12.30. Infants can be collected at 12.15.
Thursday 17th June: Trip for 2nd class to Woodlands Falconry Centre.
Monday 21st June: Sports Day 2nd-6th classes, 12pm-2.30pm, weather permitting
Wednesday 23rd June: Sports Day Infants & First class, 11am – 1pm, weather permitting.
Thursday 24th June: Evening event in honour of 6th class, 7pm-9pm.
Monday 28th June: Main performance of pantomime The Wizard of Oz by 4th-6th classes, 8pm.
Wednesday 30th June: End of Term, classes finish at 12.30. (Infants 12.15.)
Thursday 1st July – Wednesday 28th July: July programme for children with autism.
New school year: The first day of school for pupils will be Wednesday 1st September. The full 2010-2011 school calendar will appear in the next newsletter, (or see the school website.)
Newspaper Photographs: The Gorey Echo is running a series of school photos. Photos from our school are due to be published this week.
Book Savings scheme: Last day for payments is this Friday, 28th May. Statements and booklists will issue next week.
Sports Day volunteers: We will need many parent helpers on both days – Thanks!
‘Diversity Week 2010′ at Gorey Educate Together, Friday 28th May – Thurs. 3rd June:
We’re all a little different from one another – in our personalities; our skills and talents; our fears and challenges; our looks.
For ‘Diversity Week 2010′ (our first such event) we are going to read some thought-provoking stories and complete some inspiring activities to help us understand that people have different challenges – or things they find hard to do.
What if communication is the challenge; or forming friendships? How about physical challenges (vision, motor skills, mobility?) People have different learning challenges too (reading, maths, reading maps, using technology…)
Our aim: to improve understanding of one aspect of diversity, while learning how to show respect, empathy and friendship.
Parents: join us during Diversity Week for a talk on autism. Tuesday 1st June, 8pm. Speakers: Patrick Loughran, clinical psychologist; Nancy Byrne, special class teacher.
Let’s celebrate our learning on Thursday 3rd June with ‘fruit kebabs’ for all the classes. Please donate some apples, grapes, kiwis, bananas, etc. Or a pineapple or melon. The school will organise strawberries (and skewers.) Parent kebab makers needed: meet in the kitchen at 9.10am. Bring a knife and a serving tray.
Parents: does your child know his/her fruit ALLERGIES? Parents of junior and senior infants – remind the class teacher about your child’s (serious) fruit allergies.
Transport Grant: Please return the enclosed form to the school office before the end of term. A grant may be paid up to the date the school buses started running. (And families not covered by the bus service – and who live more than 3.2 kilometres from the school – may receive a grant for the entire 2009-2010 school year.) See www.citizensinformation.ie for full details. (Search ‘primary school transport scheme.’) The school transport office has asked us to process all forms received in one ‘bulk batch,’ i.e. at the end of term. We will forward the processed forms directly to the Department of Education and Skills.
Recent PTA table quiz: Many thanks for supporting the recent table quiz. €800 was raised. Part of this money will be used to buy a set of school jerseys for our sports teams – the children are currently voting on the design and colours.
Update re: very successful Educate Together Second Level Information Evening on Wednesday 12th May: Those who attended included parents, local politicians, representatives of a number of local organisations and teachers & principals from a number of national schools from the North Wexford area. Paul Rowe, CEO of Educate Together and Emer Nowlan, Head of Education and Network Development, both delivered interesting and thought provoking presentations, and a lively questions and answers session followed. See press coverage in last week’s local newspapers. Thanks to Karen Loughran who acted as chair for the evening. More than three hundred people have now formally registered expressions of interest in the proposed new Educate Together Second Level School for Gorey. Applications are continuing to come in, and parents who wish to register their interest can still do so at www.et2ndlevelgorey.com. Thank you all for your continued support. – the Second Level Campaign Committee.
‘Summer Dayz Kids Camp:’ The camp organisers will rent part of our school premises July 12th-16th. Contact Niamh Ní Shúilleabháin directly: 086 3777785. (Advertising leaflets were sent home last week.)
