September Enrolment Applications are now being invited for September 2017 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 were sent to those who have completed Stage One forms at the end of January.

Tin Whistle   1^st, 2^nd,3^rd, 4^th,  5^th and 6^th classes started tin whistle lessons with Melanie Butler on Tuesday 17^th January. These will take place every Wednesday for seven weeks. Thank you to the Board of Management for supporting us in this.

Tag Rugby All classes from 1^st to 6^th will start Tag Rugby with Joey Carbury on Monday 6^th February . It will continue every Monday until  Monday 8^th May. The children really enjoy Joey’s instruction and get lots of exercise and fresh air during this time. We are so lucky to have the use of the campus Astro turf pitch which is a lovely surface for the children to play on.

Japanese students Our thanks to Richard Daly from Athy College who visited our school on Wednesday 18^th January with five host students from Japan. These young people had spent a number of weeks in Athy, attending Athy College and visiting places of interest including Glendalough, Wexford and Carlow. They spent a morning with our pupils throughout the school, teaching them Origami in small groups. The students were very pleasant and patient and our children really enjoyed the experience.

Wednesday Workout. As we enter week eight of “Wednesday Workout”, the attendance is averaging at more than ½   of the 3rd to 6th class pupils. The general reaction of the pupils (apart from the immediate calls of “you are killing us”) has been positive, with pupils enjoying both the exercise and the fun aspects of the 45 minute sessions. The effect of the various drills and activities has already become apparent and the commitment of the pupils has shown dividends.  The clock stands at the moment at more than 7km with plenty more to come (including a non-stop kilometre run).     Conor MacGabhann

Build a Bank-  A group of 6 students from Athy College visited 5^th and 6^th class on Friday 20^th January to talk to the class about banking and saving. The students from Athy College named their bank ‘Once Upon a Bank’ and they came wonderfully  dressed as fairy tale characters.  We wish the bank manager Rebecca and her team of bankers the best of luck in the “Build a Bank” national completion.

The Annual Athy Model School Table Quiz takes place on Friday 24^th March at 8 pm in Athy Golf Club. This is always a very enjoyable evening and we would welcome everyone’s support on the night. Tickets can be purchased beforehand from the Parent Association or at the Golf Club on the night.

Mid Term Break School will close on Friday 17^th February at the usual time for Mid Term Break and will reopen on Monday 27^th February.

World Book Day. World Book Day is Thursday 2^nd March and we will be having a dress up day on Friday 3^rd March to celebrate it.

Wednesday Workout

Please note in your diaries that the West Glendalough Children’s Choral Festival and Sports Day will take place this year in Dunlavin on Friday 9th 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  held. Further details for parents will follow closer to the time.

We are looking for volunteers for guided reading which is resuming this  month on 28^th February for a six week session. Please give your name to Karyn Cole if you are available to help out. If anyone is available to help out with the Word Wasp spelling sessions, we would be delighted to have you on board too!

Table Quiz

Green Schools

We are continuing to work towards earning our Energy flag this year, while also maintaining our work on recycling. The Green Schools committee are organising an ‘Energy Free Day’ during the summer term as our Day of Action. We have reminded each class of the importance of conserving energy in our classrooms and we have appointed power rangers who will be in charge of monitoring and implementing this.

We will be introducing a second motto of ‘LOLO- Last out, Lights Out!’ This is alongside our competition winning, energy saving motto ‘Do the earth a favour, be a power saver.’

We are also reminding children to make sure they bring home all their rubbish from school and recycle when possible. 1st and 2nd class are constructing robots out of recycled materials as part of this. There are battery recycling containers in each classroom, if you have batteries which need recycling at home please send them in! Ruth Armstrong and the Green Schools’ Committee.

• Refreshments will be held in the school hall after the service.(Take the road to Dublin out of the town and, on the outskirts, turn left at the Maxol garage. Drive straight down this road through two small roundabouts; the school is in a cul de sac at the bottom of the road .)

• Races will be held in the GAA grounds after refreshments. The grounds are adjacent to the school.

• Children must be supervised by their parents/guardians at all times.

• Children must wear runners . Spiked running shoes are not allowed and children must not run in their bare feet.

• Each family is asked to bring a cake /biscuits/tray bakes for the teas. These will be collected outside the church before service.

• Each child will need to bring a tie for the three legged race.

• For health and safety reasons, all children must wear runners.

• Each child needs to bring a tie for the 3 legged races.

• Sacks will be provided for the sack races.

• There will be a collection during the service.
This is always a very enjoyable day and all children and their families are encouraged to attend.
Kind regards
Yvonne Griffin
Principal

• Anonymous Drumcondra results in Reading and Maths for 2nd, 4th and 6th classes were presented to the Board.

• Next year’s school calendar was ratified by the Board. School will reopen for pupils on Tuesday 30th August 2016. A copy of the school calendar will be posted to all families on Mon 13th June, along with school reports and book lists for next year.

• The End of Year service will take place on Sunday 19th June. Our SNA, Concepta Davidson, will be leaving the Model School after eighteen years, and there will be a presentation made to her at this service. Attendance awards and other prizes will also be presented. We encourage all families to attend.

• David Day will be doing drumming workshops with the pupils next Weds 8th June. Pupils are asked to contribute €2 each, to be given to their teacher on or before Weds.

• Please note that our swimming slot for next year has changed. Swimming will take place at 11 am on Mondays in September-December, and all pupils, including infants, will return to school on the bus at 12 noon. Further details re swimming will follow at the beginning of September.

• A reminder that school is closed on Monday for the bank holiday and on Tuesday to facilitate staff training in the new Primary Language Curriculum. School will reopen on Wednesday 8th June.
Upcoming dates for your diary:
Weds 8th June: Drumming Day
Fri 10th June: Children’s Festival and Sports Day, Blessington, Co. Wicklow
Mon 13th June: Infant Induction 1.30-2.20 pm
Tues 14th June: Junior school Tour to Castlecomer. 3rd to 6th class will take part in a Willow Weaving Workshop with artist Beth Murphy.
Weds 15th June: Senior School Tour to Sandyford Jump Zone
Sun 19th June: End of year Service, St. Michael’s Church
Fri 24th June: 6th Class Sale
Please refer to your letters for further details about the above activities.
Wishing you all a lovely bank holiday weekend.
___________________
Yvonne Griffin

Guided Reading Our guided reading sessions have now ended for this year. A big thank you to everyone who has helped us in leading the reading groups and a special mention for our parishioner volunteers; we hope you enjoyed working with the children and look forward to you rejoining us in the future.

Baby Visit A big thank you to Rosanna King who brought her baby Theo into school to meet 1^st and 2^nd class on Thurs 26^th Feb. We had a question and answer session and learned lots about babies’ development from Rosanna. Baby Theo was so well behaved too!

World Book Day We celebrated World Book Day on Fri 6^th March and the school was a riot of colourful characters who we normally only read about in books! Well done to all the pupils who dressed up and also to the parents who got their children’s hair, makeup and outfits ready on the day-no easy task!

P.A Table Quiz The annual table quiz was held on Friday 20^th March in Athy Golf Club and again it was a very enjoyable night. The Model School staff and pupils would like to thank all who supported it, whether by coming along on the night, donating raffle prizes or money or by buying raffle tickets. We’d also like to thank the P.A. committee, Clive, Diane and the Golf Club. Your support is greatly appreciated by us all. We hope to buy some benches for our playground with the funds raised.

Ovoca Manor Our school has been given a new date for Ovoca Manor-Fri 8^th to Sun 10^th May. This is at the end of our midterm break in May and hopefully the weather will be good. Please book online with Ovoca Manor.

Solar Eclipse Thank you to Eleanor Cobbe who came to assembly on the morning of the eclipse and explained all about it to our pupils in a very clear and interesting way.

Tag Rugby There will be an inter schools tag rugby blitz for 5^th and 6^th classes on the astro turf pitch on Monday 13^th April to mark the end of our season. A big thank you to Joey Carbery for all his time and dedication in giving tuition pupils in 1^st to 6^th classes this term.

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

Wishing everyone a lovely Easter.

Enrolment:  Our Open Evening was held on 6^th November. It was a great opportunity to meet some prospective parents. Thank you to those on the PA who provided tea and coffee on the night.  If you are planning to send your child to us next September, please call to the office for a Stage One form, if you haven’t already completed one. Application forms will be sent out in the New Year.

Tin Whistle We welcome back Melanie Butler, who is giving tin whistle lessons to 3^rd and 4^th class at present. Melanie will be teaching 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th and 6^th classes the tin whistle in the New Year. We would like to thank the Board of Management for helping to make these lessons possible.

Dress Up Day Eileen Mc Donnell from St. Brigid’s Hospice on the Curragh came to Assembly on 14^th Nov to accept €165 which was raised by the pupils and staff on our recent Dress Up Day. Thank you to everyone who supported this.

Carol Service Practice is underway for our School Carol Service, which will take place on Sun 14^th December at 11 a.m. in St. Michael’s Church.

Athy Library   1^st and 2^nd class took part in an excellent Science Workshop on Dinosaurs in Athy Library on 17^th Nov. This was really hands-on, with the children making ‘dinosaur teeth’ and digging for ‘dinosaur bones’. Thank you to the parents who accompanied us on our walk to the library and back.

5^th and 6^th class attended presentations on Ernest Shackleton and the History of the Grand Canal on Mon 10^th Nov, along with their teacher Dave Mc Inerney and student teacher Ruth Armstrong. They really enjoyed the visit and have since completed projects on these topics, along with ones on Agriculture, under the guidance of Miss Armstrong. A big thank you to Ruth for her hard work during her time with us.

Guided Reading A big thank you to all who helped with our Guided Reading initiative. This is over for now but we plan to resume in February.

Parents Association Christmas Trips We are really looking forward to our Christmas trips. Infants, 1^st and 2^nd class are going to see ‘A Most Peculiar Wintry Thing’ in the Riverbank Theatre in Newbridge on 11^th Dec. 3^rd to 6^th class are travelling to Dublin on 16^th Dec to see’ Peter Pan’ in the Gaiety Theatre. Thank you to the Parents Association committee for organising both trips.

School will close on Friday 19th December for Christmas holidays and will reopen on Monday 5^th January. Best wishes for the Christmas season from all of us in the Model School.

Green Schools The Green School’s Committee members this year are Mya McAleenan, Kate Burns, Cian Cobbe, Beverley Colton, Clare Cole, Owen Dowling, Evelyn Kenny and Hugh Perry. We extend a warm welcome to our new members, Mya and Owen.

We have compiled our results for September and October. In September we collected 5 buckets of biodegradable waste for the compost bin and we recycled 7 bags of recyclable materials compared to 4 ½ bags of non-recyclable materials.

In October we collected 5 ¼ buckets of biodegradable waste and we recycled 7 bags of recyclable materials. We only had 3 bags of non-recyclable waste.

3^rd and 4^th Class enjoyed making musical instruments from recyclable materials on a ‘Musical Monday’. We will make Christmas decorations from recyclable materials during ‘Decorative December’.

We would like to thank everyone for all their hard work in making our school greener.

Coffee Morning Liz and Geoff Deane are holding a coffee morning in aid of Temple Street Children’s University Hospital in their home at Clonoragh, Ballytore on Saturday 13^th December from 10.00am – 1.00pm. All are welcome.

We are starting a Book Rental Scheme for pupils in 3^rd to 6^th class, beginning this September. This will represent savings for parents in the area of buying textbooks. We welcome donations of the following from past and present parents: Mathemagic 3, 4, 5 and 6; Geography and History Quest 3, 4, 5 and 6, Treasury C, D, E and F (not written into).

We have recently converted some of the built in presses in our library to open shelving and have ordered more shelving and wall storage for infants, 1^st and 2^nd classes. We are on the lookout for a nice big sofa at present, and then our school library will be complete. It’s looking great and the children love spending time there.

We had a return visit from Jane Burns to tell us about the work being done by Christian Aid in Zimbabwe. Jane brought along a pupil’s writing board, similar to the ones donated to schools with the money we raised. She also managed to get most of us to sample a spoon or two of sadza (maize meal), a staple part of the Zimbabwean diet! Thank you Jordan Umo for bringing this in.

Congratulations to everyone in GFS who did so well in their Scripture and Handcraft exams. They came to Assembly laden down with cups, certificates and medals. Well done to the G.F.S. leaders and helpers also.

We held a Planning night for the upcoming Children’s Festival on 7^th May. This was well attended and plans are now in full swing for this great day out. Thank you to all who came and to those who have volunteered to help on the day. 

Our Anti Bullying Policy has been ratified by the board and is available to view on the school website under the parents’ tab.

Talent Show: Pupils, parents and staff were treated to wonderful entertainment during the recent Talent Show, held by the 3^rd to 6^th class pupils, under the direction of Mrs Cole, Mr Mc Inerney, Concepta and Carmel. There was a great turnout of families to support it and the proceeds were used to buy a giant green bean bag for our library. Everyone was so impressed by the talented singing, dancing and performing and by how well it was organised. Well done all!

Some upcoming events for your diaries:

School closes 12 noon Fri 30^th May for Staff Meeting

School closed Bank Holiday Mon 2^nd and Tues 3^rd June

Children’s Festival: Fri 6^th June

Junior School Tour to Rathwood: Tues 10^th June

Drumming workshops with Jamba Jamba (David Day)Thurs 12^th June

Infant Introduction afternoon: Mon 16^th June

Senior School Tour: National Aquatic Centre: Weds 18^th June

End of Year Service: Sun 22^nd June at 11 am

6^th class Sale: Tues 24^th June

School closes Fri 27^th June

We extend a very warm welcome to Rev. Olive Donohue as the new rector of Athy Union of Parishes and we look forward to getting to know each other during her assembly visits.

Internet Safety   3^rd to 6^th class pupils and teachers enjoyed the Internet Safety workshops given by Paul Hickey of safety.ie on Monday 7^th April. Paul really engaged with the children and gave advice in an accessible and age appropriate way.

 We plan to have Paul back to give a presentation to parents early in the new school year. Further details to follow nearer the time.

Children’s Festival The school plans to reschedule the information meeting for parents regarding the upcoming Children’s Festival shortly. Parents will be notified of the day and time by text.

3^rd to 6^th class pupils, along with pupils from the other schools on our campus, took part in the Aviva Mile Challenge which was held on Friday 4^th April. Well done to all who ran or walked it and thank you to Richard Daly for organising it.

Thank you to Alan and Barbara Cole who have prepared the raised beds at the side of the school. Barbara will be helping 3rd and 4th class to plant vegetables such as lettuce, carrots and potatoes this term. This is a great opportunity for the pupils and we really appreciate Barbara’s commitment.

School will be closed for the bank holiday on Monday 5^th May.

Warmest congratulations from staff, pupils and parents to Liz and Geoff Deane on the recent birth of their baby boy, Charles Frances.

On behalf of the staff and pupils, I’d like to thank the Parents Association committee for organising the recent table quiz in Athy Golf Club. It was a very enjoyable night and over €1700 was raised.  The monies raised will be spent on play equipment, library books and storage for our school library. Thank you to all who supported it, whether by coming on the night or by giving donations and raffle prizes.

A reminder that an information meeting will be held in the school on Monday 7^th April at 7 pm regarding the upcoming Children’s Choral Festival and Sports, which the school is hosting this year on Friday 6^th June.

  It will be followed by an Internet Safety Parents Talk at 8 o’ clock. The speaker is Paul Hickey from eSafety.ie, and his presentation has been highly recommended by many schools.

 Congratulations to Eoin Cobbe, in 4^th class, who won a prize in a recent Road Safety competition run by Kildare County Council. There were hundreds of entries from schools all over Kildare. Eoin’s picture of Safe Cycling is featured on the Road Safety calendar given to all schools in Kildare.

A large majority of parents voted in favour of keeping our school uniform, in its present form, in the recent survey carried out in school.

The sum of €168 was raised in aid of Christian Aid at our Dress Up assembly on Friday 7^th March. We presented this, along with three footballs and a hand pump (to be given to the schools she will be visiting) to Jane Burns on Wednesday 19^th March when she spoke to the children about her upcoming trip, with Christian Aid, to Zimbabwe. We wish Jane a wonderful trip, and look forward to hearing all about her experiences when she returns. Thank you to everyone who supported this collection.

Everyone pulled out all the stops, as usual, for our World Book Dress Up Day, and the school was filled with all sorts of colourful characters . Be sure to check out our website to see some photos taken on the day.

 Comhghairdeas to Kemi, Ayokunumi, Jemimah and Josephine, who were selected as Gaelgeoirí na Seachtaine at the end of Seachtain na Gaeilge recently. We celebrated Seachtain na Gaeilge with a special Assembly, during which our pupils sang songs, recited poems and performed plays, all as Gaeilge. 1^st and 2^nd class attended a storytelling session as Gaeilge in Athy Library on 14^th March.

Well done to the school chess team who won a recent chess tournament in Ballysax School. Thank you to Ben Pateman for all the encouragement and guidance he gives to the pupils learning chess with him.

5^th and 6^th class took part in a Tag Rugby blitz on the All Weather Pitch against Kilberry N.S., organised by Joey Carbery, on Mon 24^th March, followed by an F.A. I. soccer blitz the next day, involving local schools.

School will be closed from Mon 14^th till Fri 25^th April for Easter Holidays. A happy Easter to all.

We’ve been in Athy Library a lot recently. 1^st and 2^nd class attended a storytelling session in the library on 30^th January on the theme of friendship and bullying. 3^rd and 4^th class took part in a KNex challenge workshop on 10^thFebruary and 5^th and 6^th class participated in a Science workshop on 13^th February. Thank you to the parents who accompanied the teachers and pupils on all trips. We are very grateful to Athy Library for hosting all these workshops. They are well run and the children always enjoy them.

Garda O’ Shea, the community guard, visited school on 29^th January to talk to the older pupils about personal safety.

Pupils from 5^th and 6^th class took part in the Credit Union Schools Quiz on Friday 31^st January. One of the teams came joint fourth with a number of other teams. Well done to all.

September 2014 Enrolment   Applications are now being invited for September 2014 enrolment. Please call to the school for a Notification of intent to apply form if you are interested in your child starting school with us in September.

A number of pupils from 3^rd to 6^th classes attended the Scripture Union weekend in Ovoca Manor recently. Everyone had a great time and they are already looking forward to next year’s camp.

School will be closed on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th March for Patrick’s Day.

 Please note that a meeting will be held in the school on Monday 7^th April at 7 pm to start planning the upcoming Children’s Choral Festival and Sports, which the school is hosting this year on Friday 6^th June. This is an important event requiring ‘all hands on deck’ and we urge everyone to attend.  It will be followed by an Internet Safety Parents Talk at 8 o’ clock. The speaker is Paul Hickey from safety.ie, and the talk is not to be missed by parents of pupils of all ages.

We are now well into the spring term, one which promises to be even busier than usual! 

1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th classes have started tin whistle lessons with Melanie Butler. These take place every Tuesday until Easter. The children are really enjoying the lessons, and are already learning simple tunes.

All classes from 1^st to 6^th have started Tag Rugby with Joey Carbury which will continue until Easter. Joey is a great coach and everyone is having loads of fun.  Everyone’s fitness should be much improved in time for the Children’s Festival and Sports Day, which we’ll be hosting on 6^th June!

All classes in the school are at present participating in SALT, a conflict resolution programme which we hope will be of great benefit to the pupils when class and playground disputes occur.

The school is also taking part in the Food Dudes Healthy Eating programme this term, which means we are all getting to try out different fruit and vegetables at the moment. There are lovely prizes to be won for tasting and bringing in healthy fruit and veg.

Chess with Ben is back every Wednesday from 2.20 to 3.10 pm in Mrs Griffin’s classroom.

Our school, along with all other schools in the town, will be taking part in Cyber Awareness Week, starting on Monday 27^th January. Pupils in 3^rd to 6^th class will be taking part in an art competition.  1^st and 2^nd class will be visiting Athy Library on Thurs 30^th Jan for a story telling session with Sarah Tully based on friendship and feelings.

The following local meetings for parents on Cyber Awareness will be held: Tues 28^th Jan @ 7 pm in Athy Library with Rosario Power, Weds 29^th Jan @7.30 pm in Athy College with Garda Carmel Henry and Thursday 30^th Jan @ 10 am in Scoil Phádraig Naofa with Rosario Power (10 yrs +). These talks will cover cyber awareness and internet security, with tips on how to protect your child.

Please note that our 3^rd to 6^th class pupils will be taking part in cyber awareness workshops, run by safety.ie, in school on Monday 7^th April. Athy Model School will also be hosting an information night about Internet Safety on that night, also run by esafety.ie. All parents are most welcome on the night and the facilitator comes highly recommended by other schools.

School photos will be taken on Fri 28^th February.

 The school will be closed from Mon 17^th to Fri 21^st Feb for midterm break.

Sale for Crumlin

Helen Sheppard has asked me to pass on her sincere thanks to parents and pupils for supporting her fundraiser for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin in December. Helen held a sale of Christmas hats and tree decorations, all hand knitted by her.  She raised a total of €450, €232 of which came from our parents and pupils. All proceeds went to St. John’s Ward (Oncology), Crumlin. Well done, Helen!