6th March 2024

Dear Parents,

As we near the end of term 2 I would like to bring the following to your attention:

School Closure/Referendum

The school will be closed on this Friday, March 8th as it will be used as a polling station for the upcoming referendum. 

Ramadhan

We wish our Muslim families well as they enter the holy month of Ramadhan. We appreciate that many of our children will be observing the fasting period and ask that where this is the case, families should go online to postpone the school meals for the duration of the children’s fasting period.

We also wish to draw your attention to the possibility of the children complaining of feeling unwell, especially in the early days of their fasting. In cases where this occurs, the school must treat this in the same way as per our school policy and contact parents to have the children taken home. Please ensure that we have up to date contact information. It would also be helpful that where children are observing the Ramadhan fast, the teacher should be informed via Aladdin. 

Calendar Term 3

As a number of parents have requested information regarding closures etc. in term 3, the following is the provisional calendar for the remainder of the year:

Term 2:

Friday 8th March: School closed for Referendum.

Monday March 18th: School closed for St. Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday

Friday March 22nd: Final day of Term 2. School closes at 12p.m.

Term 3:

Monday April 8th: School reopens. First Day of Term 3

Thursday April 11th: School closed for new Maths Curriculum Inservice training.

Weds. 17th – Weds. 24th April: Health Screening (Hearing & Sight) Junior Infants & children who have joined the school in the 2023-2024 school year.

Friday May 3rd & Monday May 6th: School closed for May Bank Holiday. 

Saturday May 18th: First Holy Communion (Time TBC).

Monday June 3rd: School closed for June Bank Holiday.

Friday June 14th: Sixth class school tour.

Tuesday June 18th: 6th Class Graduation & End of year School Mass (time tbc)

Friday June 21st: Final Day of school year. Children finish @ 12 O’clock.

Note: Active School Week including sports days to be decided. 

Movement Challenge/Healthy Children

The school is currently participating in a movement challenge in conjunction with Mayo Education Centre and The Active Schools initiative. This is a combination of The Daily Mile challenge and the walk to a European city challenge in which the combined distance walked by the children over a three week period is calculated in terms of the distance to a number of European cities. We are delighted to be able to participate in this project as it is apparent that a number of our pupils do not receive enough exercise and in some cases we have children who are drifting towards obesity, something that is becoming increasingly problematic among schoolchildren in Ireland. It is vitally important that children are given ample opportunities for physical activity. It is too easy to allow children unfettered access to PlayStation, X box and similar but we need to be aware that this should be done in moderation and on a limited basis. The few minutes peace that gaming brings will become an issue when children develop illnesses later as a result of inactivity. Healthy eating, sufficient sleep and physical activity are the building blocks for a healthy life, and these should be paramount in raising our children. As the days lengthen and the weather improves I ask parents, particularly those parents whose children are somewhat overweight, to make every effort to provide the children with physical activity opportunities as a matter of some urgency. Enrol your children in one of the many clubs in Ballyhaunis or Claremorris. There is something available for all children. The school has. Provided the children with Athletica, Tennis, Swimming, football, hurling, rugby as well as the activities covered in our after school programme. There are clubs available in the locality for all sports. It is quite alarming when we witness children unable to run even for a short distance or to walk the daily mile without having to stop to ‘get their breath’ or using every excuse not to participate. Unfortunately this is becoming a more regular occurrence. 

 

With Thanks

K. Dennedy