Swimming will resume for Infants, 3rd and 4^th classes for six weeks after the Halloween midterm break. Please note there will be no swimming on Mon 30^th November due to the senior Christmas trip. Pupils will swim instead on Mon 21^st December.

 The Parents Association AGM took place on Monday 12^th October. The guest speaker on the night was Kildare Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh. Despite a small turnout of parents on the night, there was a constructive and lively discussion about general road safety on the campus and in the town. We welcome the following new members onto the committee: Tara Stacey, Marie Kenny, Ashley Cole and Sarah Cullen, and look forward to working together. We wish to thank the outgoing members:  Adele Rowan, (committee) Jane Burns and Karl Colton (Parents’ Nominees) for their hard work, commitment and support during their term on the P.A.

A big thank you to Richard Daly and his staff for welcoming 5^th and 6^th class to their Open Day in Athy College on 25^th September. The pupils had a very interesting morning being shown around the school.

6^th class attended the annual Diocesan Schools Service in Christchurch Cathedral on Thurs 15^th Oct. Our pupils behaved exceptionally well on the day. Special praise goes to Ellen Burns and Dearbhla Bradshaw, who read so well in front of a very large congregation. Well done, all!

We had a Dress Up Day on Friday 24^th October in support of the Kildare Hospice on the Curragh. Well done to everyone who dressed up and supported this; the school was a riot of colour and activity on the day.

Our classrooms are full of bookworms at the moment, most of whom are taking part in the MS Readathon. Keep up the reading, everyone!

A huge thank you to Teresa Fitzpatrick, Frances Worthley and Barbara Cole for their year round assistance in setting up and working with the infants during weekly Art sessions.

Our Guided Reading sessions have finished until February. We sincerely thank the parishioners and parents who gave up their time to listen to our pupils reading in small groups. We really appreciate your input.

Word Wasp sessions are continuing in the mornings. Again, thank you to the volunteers who work with the children on this. We are very fortunate to have so many people willing to give their time and assistance to our pupils. If you are interested in helping with knitting in Mrs. Deane’s classroom (3^rd & 4^th class) in January or with Guided Reading in February, please let us know.

Our pupils (2^nd class upwards) have been invited to sing at the Songs of Praise service in the Dominican Church on Sunday 1^st November, at 3.30 pm. Other schools in the town will also be represented there. This should be a lovely service, and we encourage families to attend if possible.

Parent teacher meetings will take place in the afternoons, after school, straight after midterm break.

The Christmas Trips organised by the P.A. this year are as follows:

3^rd to 6^th classes will be going to hear and see the RTE Symphony Orchestra performing ‘Musical Adventures’ on 30^th Nov.  in the National Concert Hall in Dublin.

Infants, 1^st and 2^nd classes are attending ‘Snow Play’ in the Riverbank theatre in Newbridge on Mon 14^th December. Many thanks to Dolores Delaney, P.A. secretary, for organising these trips which promise to be very enjoyable.

Please note that our School Carol Service will take place on Sunday 20^th December in St. Michael’s Church at 11 am.

We are all nicely settled back into school life by now. A big welcome to our new Infants– William Delaney, Neal Lazenby, Ian Mc Cann, Evan Stacey, Felix Lynch, Kyle Lazenby, Noel Nordens, Jayden Gaffney,  Kia Forde, Beth Dowling, Heidi Dowling, Claire Kingston, Céilí Rourke, Lauryn Cole and Luca Mos. We also welcome Sam Massey and Quincy Macharia into 6^th class. Well done to all the new infants who have adjusted to Big School so quickly and are working very hard!

Swimming is up and running again for 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th and 6^th classes until the Halloween break, and for infants, 3rd and 4^th classes for six weeks after Halloween.

Two members of the Irish Defence Forces visited our school on Weds 16^th September to present us with an Irish flag and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation. We plan to raise the Irish flag beside our green flag and to frame and display the proclamation in our school.

Student Placement We would like to welcome Louise Hendy to the school. Louise is a 2nd year student in CICE & will be joining Mrs Deane, 3^rd and 4^th class, on observation in October, and on student placement for three weeks in November.

PA AGM The Parents Association AGM will take place on Monday 12^th October at 7.15 pm. The guest speaker on the night is Kildare Road Safety Officer Declan Keogh, who will be speaking about Road Safety and your Child, after the AGM, at 8 pm. We strongly urge all parents to attend the AGM. It is a great opportunity to learn about the work the P.A. does as well as any recent developments in our school.

We will be having a Dress Up Day on Friday 24^th October in support of the Kildare Hospice on the Curragh so now is the time to start planning your outfits! Our school will be taking part in the MS Readathon this year. This will involve the children reading lots and lots of books in aid of a very worthwhile cause so we hope that it will be well supported.

Thank you to the parent volunteers who are coming in to listen to the children reading in small groups or who have volunteered for the Word Wasp programme. Your support is much appreciated and it is a great help to both teachers and children.

We have recently invested in five new laptops, with the help of the Board of Management. This brings our stock to fifteen and will be of great benefit to the pupils for activities such as literacy and numeracy games as well as project work. We would like to thank the Board of Management for their support with this.

A reminder to all parents that a photographer will be taking photos for the school calendar on Tues 29^th Sept. Infant pupils will be staying until 2.20 pm on this day. Children are to attend school in full uniform and will change into costume during the day.

A reminder that school will be closed for midterm break from Mon 26^th to Fri 30th October.

Congratulations to Nelly Badakin for winning the Boys championship and to Ben Leahy, Andrew Phoenix Spratt and Nelly Badakin for winning the Clergy Cup Relay Race. Well done to everyone who won medals and to all those who came along and took part- it was great to see everyone participating, encouraging others and showing great sportsmanship. A big thank you to all in Donoughmore N.S., for hosting such a well organised and enjoyable day.

Our End of Year service took place in St. Michael’s Church on Sunday 21^st June at 11am. During this service, we said a fond farewell to all our 6^th class pupils who will soon be starting secondary school-Hugh Perry, Rupert Murray, Phoebe Colton, Nelly Badakin, Jade Burns, Jordan Umo, Muireann Turner, Saoirse Karadag, Nathan Daly, Tolani Simpson, Andrew Phoenix Spratt and Evelyn Kenny. All of 6^th class received autograph books, photo stories of their time in the Model, certificates and book tokens.

Congratulations to: Ryan Cooke who was awarded the William Ashmore Plaque for effort and progress in 1^st class, Evelyn Kenny who was awarded the Loftus Warren Cup for effort and progress throughout her eight years in our school, to Phoebe Colton who was awarded the Scripture Plaque, and to the following who received certificates and book tokens for full attendance in the school year: Nathalie Cooke, Eleanor Delaney, Kahlen Gaffney, Joe Cole, Mya Mc Aleenan, Cynthia Aghilan, Wesley Coyle, Taz Chinamasa, Eve King, Cerys Moody,  Tom Cole, Brianna Pere, Charlene Pere, Evelyn Kenny and Clare Cole. The following received certificates for missing only one school day to date- Petra Adeniranye, Kemi Simpson, Jack Monks, Caitlin Kenny, Tobi Simpson, Kendra Adeniranye, Mischa Adeniranye, George King, Anna-Mart Mielmann, Lisa Badakin and Jemimah Famose. Many more children missed just three or four days during the year so well done to them too.Thank you to Neil, Alan, Rupert and Hugh for transporting our stage to church and to Susan for managing the sound at the service.

Thank you to Rev. Olive for your weekly assemblies and to Mervyn Tomb from the Faith mission whose monthly assemblies we also enjoy. It was lovely to have a visit from Rev. Des Bain of the Methodist church at assembly on Mon 22^nd June. We look forward to his monthly assemblies next year.

Thank you to Eleanor Cobbe who has worked so hard this year as the link person between church and school. We really appreciate your commitment.

Our Annual 6^th class sale took place in the school on Tues 23^rd June.  This was very well organised by Dave Mc Inerney, Concepta and the 6^th class pupils and was a great success. Thank you to the 6^th class pupils and parents, who worked tirelessly on the day. Thank you to everyone who supported the sale, whether by donating raffle prizes, helping or coming along to the sale. A substantial sum of money was raised, €800 of which is being donated to Temple St. Children’s Hospital. The remaining monies will go towards updating our IT equipment next year.We welcomed back Gwenda Hobson to raise our first Green Schools Flag after the sale. It is now flying proudly outside the front of our school. Thank you to Gwenda, Liz, the Green Schools Committee and all who helped us to achieve this.

A Secondary School Action Group meeting was held in our school on Tues 2^nd June. Members of the committee gave details of the campaign which is underway for a new Church of Ireland day school to be built in Co. Kildare. The meeting was well attended. For further details of this campaign, please visit the website www.kildaresecondaryschool.ie.

The Senior School Tour to Kilkenny Activity Centre took place on 15^th June during which the pupils tackled the assault course and bouncy castles and took part in Bubble Soccer. The Junior School Tour to Nore Valley Pet Farm took place on 10^th June. Pupils took part in a tractor ride and go kart rides and they also explored the farm. We all had a great time. Thank you to our parents Liz, Melanie and Marie who came along on the day to help.

We had our annual visit from David Day of Jabba Jabba Jembe who gave drumming workshops to all classes on 25th June. The children really enjoyed these workshops and learned a lot.

Our new pupils for the coming school year came to spend an afternoon in the school on 8^th June. It was lovely to meet both them and their parents and we look forward to getting to know them over their time in the Model School. Thank you to the P.A. for serving the refreshments at this and after the End of Year service.

Don’t forget to look at our photo gallery to see photos of these recent events.

As the school year draws to a close, we wish to thank the members of the Board of Management and the Parents Association Committee, all of whom give their time voluntarily and work hard for the benefit of our school. Thank you for your work and support throughout the year. The children are really enjoying our new playground benches , table and seats, which the funds from the Table Quiz in March enabled us to purchase.

To those families who have come to the end of your time with us, a big thank you for your support over the years and warmest wishes for the future.

School will reopen on Weds 26^th August and will close for pupils at 11.50 am on that day. (9.30-11.30 am for Junior Infants only)

New parents are invited to meet in the Bay Tree on the first morning of school for coffee and to get to know each other. Thank you to the PA for organising this.

There will be an Open Evening in the school early in the new school term to which everyone is welcome, but which should particularly interest anyone who may be sending their children to Athy Model School. It will be a chance to have a look around and meet the teaching staff, if you wish, in an informal way. All are welcome. Further details will follow in early September.

Wishing everyone a wonderful summer!

6^th Class Sale

Everyone is welcome to our annual 6^th class sale which takes place on Tues 23^rd June from 10 am. Most of the proceeds raised on the day will be in aid of Temple St. Hospital, with the remainder going to our school. There will be lots going on, including a bric-a-brac stall, a cake sale, raffles as well as teas and coffees. This promises to be a fun day for everyone so please come along to support it if you can.

Green Schools flag

Congratulations to our Green Schools committee whose hard work enabled us to receive our first Green Schools Flag for recycling at the Green Schools awards ceremony in the Helix on 21^st May. We look forward to raising the flag after the 6^th class sale on 23^rd June.

Campaign for a Co. Kildare faith based secondary school with Church of Ireland patronage 

A meeting will be held in our school on Tuesday 2^nd June at 8 pm during which the action group of the above campaign will present the issues and an action plan.

We would encourage everyone considering secondary school options for their children in years to come to attend this meeting and to support this campaign.

Please let friends and family know about the meeting. All are welcome.

Dale Treadwell

Our school had a visit from Dale Treadwell, ecologist, on Fri 22^nd May. Dale took the children into the school grounds and planted a rowan tree and some wildflowers, which are expected to flower on our return to school after the summer.

Children’s Festival and Sports Day

At the time of writing, the weather has picked up and practising for the running, three legged and sack races is in full swing. We are all looking forward to the sports day, which takes place this year in Donoughmore on Fri 5^th June. It is always a lovely family day out and we hope that all families will attend.

School Website

We have a new Photo gallery tab on our school website and will be adding photos from school events from now on so please check it out from time to time.

New Pupils Induction Afternoon

All new pupils coming to us at the end of August are invited to join us in school on Mon 8^th June at 1.30 pm. This is an opportunity to meet fellow classmates, parents and teachers, and learn about our school.

School closures

School will be closed for the bank holiday on Mon 1^st June.

School will close for summer holidays on Fri 26^th June.

We have a really busy term ahead. These are the main upcoming events:

Fri 15^th May: School will close at 1.20 pm to facilitate a staff meeting on this day.

Fri 5^th June: West Glendalough Children’s Festival and Sports: this takes place in Donoughmore this year. It is a great day out for the whole family. The children are already practising for the races!

Mon 8^th June: Introduction afternoon for new pupils and their parents.

Mon 15^th June: Senior ( 3^rd-6^th class ) School Tour to Kilkenny Activity Centre

Thurs 18^th June: Junior ( Infants-2^nd class ) School Tour to Nore Valley Park

Sun 21^st June: End of Year Service in St. Michael’s Church. This is where we say goodbye to our 6^th class pupils and the attendance and other prizes are awarded. We encourage all families to attend this service.

Tues 23^rd June: 6^th Class Sale. This is always a great event, organised by the 6^th class pupils and all in the parish are welcome to come along and support it.

Thurs 25^th June: Drumming Workshop in school with Jabba Jabba Jembe (David Day). This has now become an annual event, due to its popularity with the pupils.

We will be sending further details on all these events to parents in due course.

School Closures: School will be closed from Monday 4^th until Friday 8th May for midterm break.

School will also be closed on Monday 1^st June. (Bank Holiday).

Credit Union Quiz Five teams represented our school at the Athy Credit Union quiz, held in Ardscoil na Trionóide on Fri 30^th January, including a junior team (3^rd and 4^th) for the first time. Although we weren’t placed on the night, the children enjoyed it and did well and it was great to have such a good turnout. Congratulations to Ballyadams and Scoil Phádraig Naofa who won the senior and junior quizzes respectively.

Enrolment Application forms for September enrolment have been sent to all who have returned completed Stage One forms.

Tin whistle and tag rugby instruction are now in full swing for 1^st to 6^th classes.

Kildare Animal Foundation Michelle from Kildare Animal Foundation came to talk to the pupils about their work and about animal welfare on Friday 13^th February. Instead of donating money to the foundation, it was decided that families could donate pet food, blankets, cat litter, etc. Thank you to everyone who did so; we had a wonderful response.

World Book Day A reminder to everyone that World Book Day is on Thursday 5^th March but our school will be celebrating it in our traditional way, on Friday 6^th March, by dressing up as our favourite book characters. Time to start planning!

School closures School will close on Monday 16^th and Tuesday 17^th March for St. Patrick’s Day.

School will be closed from Monday 30^th March until Friday 10^th April for Easter holidays.

It is hard to believe that winter is now officially over (though the weather remains very wintry!)- the school year is really flying by!

We have lots to look forward to here in school this term;  1^st, 2^nd, 5^th and 6^th classes will be starting tin whistle lessons with Melanie Butler on Weds 4^th February. These will take place every Wednesday for eight weeks.

All classes from 1^st to 6^th have started Tag Rugby with Joey Carbury which will continue every Monday until Easter. The children really enjoy Joey’s instruction and get lots of exercise and fresh air during this time. We are very fortunate to have the use of the campus Astro turf pitch which is a lovely surface for the children to play on and a great facility for our school.

Please note in your diaries that the West Glendalough Children’s Choral Festival and Sports Day will take place this year in Donoughmore on Friday 5^th June. As is usual, there will be a church service in the morning, followed by refreshments in the parish hall. Races for pupils from the following schools: Blessington, Athy, Donoughmore and Dunlavin, will then be held in the adjoining field. Further details for parents will follow closer to the time.

We wish to extend our deepest sympathy to Liz Deane and the Pearson family on their recent bereavement.

We also extend our sincere sympathy to Walter Craig, a member of our Board of Management, on his recent bereavement.

The school will be closed on Thursday 19^th and Friday 20^th February for midterm break.

Y. Griffin

Green Schools

We have compiled our results for November and December. In November we had 8 bags of recyclable materials compared to 4 bags of non-recyclable materials. In December we had 6 bags of recyclable materials compared to 2 bags of non-recyclable materials.

We are currently running a competition for the best ‘Green Clean Classroom’. The class to produce the least amount of waste and to use the bins correctly will win a ‘green’ prize. The winners will be announced in next month’s newsletter.

Finally, we are preparing for the arrival of Dara Wyer. Dara is coming to examine our school’s waste and to see if we are worthy of our first green flag. We have been working very hard for the past 2 years to achieve this so keep up the good work and let’s get our first green flag.

By Owen Dowling and Hugh Perry

Coffee Morning

Liz and Geoff Deane wish to thank everyone for supporting their recent coffee morning in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital. €2250 was raised towards the purchase of an incubator in the neonatal unit.

3rd to 6th class at Gaiety Theatre, Tues 16th Dec

January 2015 Newsletter

A very happy Christmas to you all!

School Carol Service: Our School Carol Service took place on Sun 14^th Dec and it was a lovely occasion. Well done to all pupils who took part, whether singing, dancing, acting, playing the tin whistle, collecting, giving the bible readings and prayers. Every child was involved in the service and a big well done to our staff for preparing them so well. A special thank you to Eleanor Cobbe for giving so much of her time to help set up the sound in the church, and for moving the Prayerful Place forward and back from school to church. We also wish to thank Alan and Neil for moving the stage to and from the church. Thank you to all who gave collection or donated toys to our local St. Vincent de Paul. We are grateful to the parish for the use of the Parish Centre on Weds 10^th Dec, which enabled us to practise for the service in the church.

Christmas Trips: Our trips to both the Riverbank Theatre in Newbridge to see ‘A Most Peculiar Wintry Thing’ (Infants – 2^nd class) on Thurs 11^th Dec and the Gaiety Theatre to see ‘Peter Pan’ (3^rd-6^th class) on Tues 16^th Dec were most enjoyable and really got everyone into the Christmas spirit. The Gaiety trip in particular was a real treat and we thank the Board most sincerely for their support of this. We are grateful to the P.A. committee for organising both trips and the parents who accompanied us.

Athy Lions Club: Thank you to Athy Lions Club for their donation of €158 to our school from the sponsored cycle which took place before the summer holidays. Well done to all who took part on the day.

Transition to Secondary School: There will be an information night for parents on children’s transition from primary to secondary School on Monday 19^th Jan 2015 at 6 pm in Gaelscoil Áth Í, to which all are welcome. The speaker is Emma O’ Regan and it should be especially useful for parents of 6^th class pupils.

Ovoca Manor Scripture Camp: This year’s camp for pupils from 3^rd to 6^th class takes place from Fri 16^th to 18^th Jan. Forms have been sent home to all the relevant pupils. Please note that all camp bookings are to be made online.

Enrolment:  Applications are now being invited for September 2015 enrolment. Please call to the school office to fill in a Notification of Intention to Apply form (Stage One) on behalf of your child if you have not already done so. Application forms will be sent to those who have completed Stage One forms at the end of January.